Chiu On This

Year End Re'crap'

2011-12-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, RE-CRAP. This last year has been pretty crappy. Granted, I have been able to keep perspective through it all, but that doesn't diminish the fact that it has been a crappy year. I don't want to dwell on the past in detail though. I've decided to recap the year in a PROS and CONS way and maybe a NEUTRAL category too. I think this helps to see this past year from a more balanced perspective. Let's start with the CONS so I can end on a happy note.

CONS

Calf injury
Shoulder injury
ITB injury
Achilles Injury
Staph infection
Root canal
Lost my job
Had to drop most of my races due to finances
Two DNS and one DNF for my already limited race schedule
Had to defer the NYC Marathon b/c of injury
Health issues with a member of our family

PROS

Angels & Ninjas to my rescue
Spibelt sponsered my REV3 race
Most of my family is healthy
I was able to freelance since losing my job
I got to do some new designs for a friend's company, Ann Scott Design, and they were picked up by quite a few reps.
My son got an amazing teacher for Kindergarten and scored 99% on his G&T test (which only means he has a long attention span, but I'll take it)
Support from bloggy peeps cannot be underestimated
I managed to keep my head up and my hope alive
I have an awesome husband, son and friends
Free entry into the NYC Triathlon for 2012
Was approached by Lenox china to create the Kathy Ireland line of dinnerware, but had to turn it down (see: HUGE PRO)
Getting back on track with training, slowly but surely

NEUTRAL

I no longer have a coach (this is bittersweet, but was a decision I needed to make for a number of reasons, none of which had anything to do with her not be the most amazing and supportive coach ever.)
Was my son's soccer coach for the fall season; the ONLY female coach (now I know why)

HUGE PRO

I started a new job today

I wrote most of this over the last couple of days. During that time I saw a lot of yearly recaps and many local news stories that highlighted some very sad events. I considered just deleting the entire post; it seemed like just so much complaining. However, in reality, I can see that my PROS list is longer than my CONS list, I managed to remain hopeful despite many setbacks and I never lost sight of how blessed I really am. Bearing that in mind, I can let this post stand as testament to a year that couldn't end soon enough, but forced me to take stock of my life and taught me to be grateful for the little things. I pray I don't lose site of these things in the year to come. With the sun, a little run must fall. But it can't rain forever and I have an umbrella.

Foto Friday (early edition): Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T11:30:00.001-05:00

And Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanza....Better yet, Happy Holidays!! I'm lame and I know it. I promise next week to get you up to speed on what has been going on in an extremely long and completely snooze inducing post. I have some big news, but it can wait for the moment. I'll leave you with my favorite 80s Christmas song, Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses.

And the photo I doctored (badly, I might add) to con my five year old. If you want to pay to have this done you can do it for about $10 here or here. I'm just cheap, so I did it myself.

There is also still time to send a personalized video to your kid from Santa from here or here, those clever Canucks!

You could keep it simple with a phone call from Santa, thanks to Google here. Does anyone remember as a kid being able to call the North Pole to listen to a message from Santa? 1970s peeps???? Only a NYC local thing?

And, of course, tracking Sant's whereabouts on Christmas Eve here, friggin' awesome!

2011-12-16T11:39:00.001-05:00

I love this animation by Joshua Held, I watch it every year. In fact I believe I posted it last year too......and the year before that....... Never gets old. Music by the Drifters.....get your jingle on.

Hello Siri

2011-12-12T15:47:00.000-05:00

I've been sitting on this for awhile (funny shit), forgot about it. Sorry if you've seen it. I promise an update on me soon....or soonish...I know, you can hardly stand the wait....

Cycling Super Freak!

2011-12-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

"So let me get this straight. To be a cyclist it requires that you shut off the part of your brain that provides you with common sense?"Cycling Explained
by: nofinishline

30 Day Challenge: The Bored With This Edition

2011-11-28T18:26:00.000-05:00

Story of my life. I just get bored. It happens all the time to me. I get a bee in my bonnet about something, go whole hog and then get bored or lose interest. Thank God this doesn't apply to my marriage! I don't know what I was thinking about this 30 Day Challenge thingy. I mean, for real. Who am I kidding? Actually, I might have finished it if it were even remotely interesting, which it is not. You can read this as "I never bothered reading the complete 30 day topics ahead of time before I decided to do it". Did I also mention how lazy I am? I'm gonna cut straight to the chase; I'm cleaning up the rest of this mess in one fell swoop.

9. How important you think education is: Totally
10. Put your music player on shuffle and write the first ten songs that play: Don't feel like it (there' that lazy thing again, damn it!)
11. Your Family: Well, it depends which members you are talking about.
12. Five guys/girls you find attractive:

GUYS: Calvin, Snoopy, Hobbes, Charlie Brown, Linus
GIRLS: Snow White, Mulan, Laura Croft (NOT Angelina), Lucy, Sally

13. Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it: Meh
14. What you wore today: I wore out my welcome.
15. Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality: Gemini/Yes, so my husband tells me.
16. Something you always think "what if. . ." about: I ate this giant bag of M&Ms
17. Something that you are proud of: My ability to reduce this list to something meaningless (like it needed my help).
18. A problem you have had: This list.
19. Five items you lust after: chewed up Barbie feet, bits of string, scraps of paper, a crust of bread, broken bits of cheese.
20. Your fears: lake monsters, blue hair, frosted green eyeshadow, saggy boobs.
21. How you hope your future will be like: calm
22. Your Academics: OVER!
23. Something that you miss: bunny slippers
24. Five words/phrases that make you laugh: 5? Really? words OR phrases? You ask too much.
25. Something you are currently worrying about: what's for lunch.
26. Things that you like/dislike about yourself: I like/dislike myself.
27. A quote you try to live by: "I like maxims that don't encourage behavior modification." ~Calvin
28. Somewhere you would like to move or visit: I'd like to move to the other side of the couch, but there is a 5 year old blocking my access.
29. Five weird things that you like: You're asking now?
30. One thing you are excited for: Christmas sweaters!

There, done!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T10:21:00.001-05:00

NYC Marathon and 30 Day Challenge: Day 8

2011-11-15T12:51:00.001-05:00

Because Day 8 of the 30 Day Challenge has been hanging over my head forever, I'll keep it simple....

Day 8: What you ate today.

Answer: Food ( I know, lame, but I am just not that inspired. I think I need to come up with my own list. I'm fickle like that).

As you may or may not know, I had to defer the NYC Marathon until next year due to Achilles issues. I still went to watch.....and drink beer. My friend's idea of drowning my sorrows. It worked.

Christoper Niemann is an artist/blogger for the NY Times and I have featured his work before. He is too damn clever for his own good, but this time he went over the top. He sketched his way through the NYC Marathon. He tweeted live illustrations along the entire route of the race. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me. He has summed up his tweets in a blog post here. I hope you enjoy it, it's good stuff!

Just a teaser.

So...You Want To Be An Artist?

2011-11-09T11:52:00.002-05:00

My 30 Day Challenge has gone off the rails for a bit, but I promise to get back to it (I know. You have been on pins and needles, breathless with anticipation). In the meanwhile, a fellow artist friend of mine sent this to me. I remember seeing this when it aired a million years ago. I was a huge SNL fan back when it was still good (Kristen Wiig, being the exception). This is sooooooooo true.

Where Have I Been

2011-11-01T14:31:00.003-04:00

Honestly, nowhere. Right here doing the thing that is my life at the moment. As I'm sure I have mentioned I am out of the NYC Marathon which is this Sunday due to Achilles issues (it also means I am out of the Tough Mudder; not sure which I am more upset about). My good friends have arranged to watch the race at a pub on the race route, beer in hand, to wash away my misery. If you can't be healthy and run the race, you might as well be drunk. Ok, maybe not that extreme, but I have a babysitter just in case. The answer to that equation is no running.

My staph infection is finally healed. The one that was caused by my bike helmet. Yes, I ordered new padding which is back ordered, but will arrive in time for it to be too cold to ride outside. It has been a long process of healing and it is something that I did not take seriously enough when it first appeared. I am now overly vigilant when I see a cut on myself or my son. Staph is no fun. The answer to this equation is that there has been no swimming and biking due to the infection.

Staph time line. Note my use of my non makeup Avatar look on 10/8-10/10. Anyone know any good scar healing cream?

Essentially the sport of triathlon has rejected my ass. It's a lonely feeling and is going to be a long road back filled with much soul searching. I haven't trained much at all. Mostly due to the injury and infection and then partially due to tons of work that needed to be done for the NY Tabletop Show where I hoped to sell designs and make contacts; both of which I managed to do, although I wish I had sold more. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to prepare, but all things considered it went ok. Next time should be more productive for me. However, this preparation also interfered with any kind of training; I needed to focus on my work. It's hard getting back on the horse. I'll do it, but I need some separation. Coach Michelle sensed this too. It is amazing how intuitive she is and how well she can read between the lines. As a result I am on a 'do whatever I feel like doing whenever I feel like doing it' training plan. Anything else is too much stress for me at the moment. If I have a plan in front of me I feel obligated to fulfill it to the best of my ability and anything less is failure, including not being able to do it at all. Looking at my TP calendar is just depressing and stressful lately. I did manage to get off my ass today and do this (felt good to almost feel like I was dying):

This weekend we also had a close family member who was admitted to the hospital with kidney failure. It is unclear what will happen there, but the prognosis is not good. Is 2011 over yet?

Some cleaner and brighter news. I finally managed to get the funk out of my workout clothes from a summer of sweat and stink. I'll admit it, my shit was getting nasty. I tried treating with vinegar; no luck. It tried ammonia with limited success. Finally I just took all my stuff, dumped it in the kitchen sink full of warm water and then added a 1/4 cup of bleach. There was enough bleach to kill all the nasty, musty, sweaty smelling stuff, but not enough to effect the color of any of my garments. Afterward I ran everything through the wash and it all came out smelling fabulous. The next time I used them there was non of that funk. Mind you, I have no outdoor place to hang things in the sun. I do rinse everything right after I work out and hang it in the bathroom to dry, but drying stuff in the bathroom in summer only makes matters worse as there is little ventilation in there. Just thought I would share, since I really can't afford to go out and buy all new stuff.

That's it in a nutshell.

Foto Friday: Monday Halloween Edition

2011-10-31T12:35:00.001-04:00

I was saving up for Halloween!! I love Halloween, I mean truly LOVE! It's the only reason I had a kid, so I could still dress up without people thinking I was weird. Ok, not the only reason ;) Here are some pretty awesome costumes.

I'm starting off with the best by Tyler Card. This is a fully functioning camera; totally awesome!! See the video below.

Fully Functional Camera Costume from Tyler Card on Vimeo.

Please tell me I don't have to tell you what this one is.

Not a clue, but pretty cool.

Seriously awesome!

Very cool use of water bottles.

If only it were real...

Best. Baby. Costume. EVER!

It was his face that got me.

Tastes like chicken.

Best dog costume ever.

Too cool for words.

Foto Friday: The Body Electric

2011-10-21T10:51:00.002-04:00

Well.....sort of. More like the body as art. Do you know that there is a company, DNA11, that will create artwork from your DNA for $199? Your fingerprints? Or your kiss? (ok, I could do those last two with no help, but the DNA is intriguing).

His and hers?

Now, speaking of fingerprint portraits, try this on for size.

Yes, a portrait of Philip Glass by Chuck Close made from fingerprints. If you are not familiar with Chuck Close's work you need to motivate and check it out. He is simply awesome. I have been a fan for years!!

Lastly, in the DNA meets total grossness arena, there is the gum wall in Seattle. I'm thinking PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD, but what do I know.

Foto Friday: The Late Edition; Tilt-Shift

2011-10-15T01:40:00.000-04:00

It has been awhile since I have done Foto Friday for lots of reasons. The very fact that it is 1:28 AM and really Saturday now should give you some indication of the hella crazy life I have had recently. On with it.

Tilt-Shift. You've seen it in photos and maybe you didn't know how they did it. If not, I give you some way cool examples. Basically, it makes your photos look like they are miniatures; very toy like. It definitely works better on some photos and less on others. Think only the pros can do this? Nope. You civilians can too!! Tilt Shift Maker will let you upload yours and manipulate it very easily to achieved the same effect. If you are more of a diy kind of person, here is a Photoshop tutorial that gets you the same effect. Enjoy the photos courtesy of Smashing Magazine.

The 30 Day Challenge: Day 7 (and a couple of other things)

2011-10-12T11:51:00.001-04:00

Back to the 30 Day Challenge with a small update on the staph situation and my gray hair...

Lovely, no?

grays growing in..

lots on the side.

Staph and gray together, wonderful combo.

Ok, on to Day 7: Pet Peeves.

I could go on forever about my pet peeves. I'm not sure that that says about me, but I'll give you my top 5 in reverse order and leave it at that.

5) When my husband leaves dirty dishes in the sink right after I have loaded the dishwasher.

4) People who stop or stand to chit chat or look around in places that are clearly in the way; doorways, exits, the middle of the sidewalk, etc. (I live in NYC so this is a common occurrence, especially with tourists. I know, bad NYer)

3) Smokers.

2) People who wear cologne or perfume to the gym. This really makes me nuts.

And the thing I hate most of all...

1) People who do not say thank you, especially when you hold a door open for them. This drives me crazy. Is it too much effort to say, "Thank you"? I usually just yell, "You're welcome!" (very sarcastically) at them and leave it at that.

Trust me, I've got more, but I don't want to e a complainer ;)

But the Universe Has a Strange Sense of Humor

2011-10-09T16:29:00.001-04:00

When I woke up this morning looking like something out of Avatar, my husband (not me) decided I needed to get thee to a doctor, STAT. Being Sunday and all, that meant a trip to the ER. I suggested the walk in clinic, but he was having none of it. So off I went like a good little wife to Lenox Hill Hospital. I have to say, the wait time was minimal and I was in and out within' an hour. Nice.

What is more interesting than my diagnosis, which I will get to in a moment, was the young guy sitting next to me. He was there with his girlfriend and sporting a very swollen ankle. The nurse asked him a few questions including 'was there any trauma to the ankle?", to which he replied, "no". They made a cursory diagnosis of gout based on a series of questions. The nurse walks away and the girlfriend says, in a very hushed whisper, "You need to tell them what really happened." "No, I'm not telling them. It's too embarrassing." Her: "They are going to find out once they take the x-ray". He was not moved. I've got my nose buried in my book, but I am not reading a word. I want to know the back story on the swollen ankle. However, despite her urging, he was sticking to his original story and I never did find out, damn!

The doctor then came to look at me. I explained my unfortunate bike helmet run in and she asked a few questions then took a closer look at my 'third eye'. Diagnosis? Cellulitis/Staph infection. Cuz that's how I roll. I am now the poster child for replacing your bike helmet pads when they disintegrate. Don't be a cheap, lazy ass like me, do it! A head band just won't cut it (no pun intended).

She also assured me that in the next day or two the swelling will have traveled further down my face, no doubt making me look like this

I urge you to go take out stock in Greek yogurt as I am on mega doses of antibiotics: one to take 2x/day the other 4x/day. I also have to keep a close eye on the infection site to make sure it doesn't spread or that I don't see any red lines emanating from it. I have a follow up visit in 48 hours with the ER or my PCP. So now I cannot run, bike or swim.....Looks like TRX is my only friend and maybe some yoga (now that should be interesting).

The universe does have a way of balancing things out: Good/Evil, Yin/Yang, etc. Yesterday we went to the local playground where they had a pumpkin carver extraordinaire...

They had a lottery to win one of the pumpkins and we won. If this is the universe's way of balancing things out, somehow I feel like I am operating under a deficit.

I Am One With the Universe

2011-10-07T21:30:00.000-04:00

I'm about to get all Deepak Chopra up in here. It's October. Not necessarily time for a year in review, but let's just call it the final quarterly report. It has been a year of change for me and rising to the challenge seems to have been the modus operandi. I wish I could say that I was challenged by an IM or that I had lined up a bunch of tough races to see what kind of stuff I was made of. It seems I am made of Jello-O and it didn't take an IM for me to discover that.

In the biggest piece of news I am out of the NYC Marathon. I will have to defer to next year. Injury. I strained both my Achilles and even now with 4 weeks off from running I am still hobbling out of bed in the morning like an old woman (easy!). It's a long, sordid story that I won't get into in detail, but it began with ITB issues > BF running > ITB issues gone! > Achilles issues. Don't tell me about starting slow or stretching or calf tightness, etc. etc. I was on top all of that while training...religiously....and yet, here I am.

Back to biking and swimming. Ok. You know that cheap, useless excuse of padding that they velcro into bike helmets? Mine disintegrated long ago. Yes, I know they make replacements that you can buy to make your helmet whole again, but somehow I chose to ignore the existence of such a thing, instead opting for wearing a headband instead (I hesitate to tell you that in the spirit of Halloween I decided to play Dr. Frankenstein and made an attempt to glue my sad, little piece of padding back together in an effort to save it's life and my forehead. This was a failed attempt and if it isn't obvious by now, I am cheap). This headband idea has been working for some time...until Monday. I went out for a 1.5 hour ride, but it wan't until I awoke the next morning that I felt a pain in the center of my forehead.

Geez, that is some pimple!

Wait, that's not a pimple, that is a whole bunch of pimples!

Pimples don't cluster like that.

Oh shit! That's from that damn prickly thing in my bike helmet!

Flash forward to Friday and holy shit, it hurts. It is swollen, red and the pain is spreading accross my forehead and my head hurts. Me thinks infection hath taken hold. Topical antibiotics didn't help so now I am taking some oral ones....we shall see.

It actually looks worse in real life.

This has kind of been the running theme for me this year. Just when my training would seem to get on track, something would happen to derail it. Injury. Job loss. The last one didn't interfere with my training so much, but definitely tore down my race list.

Recently, I started to notice some strange coincidences (stick with me, I'll bring this full circle). One day I was laying on my couch reading and there was a line about the "church bells ringing" and just at that moment the bells at the church on our corner started to ring.

I was speaking with a friend of mine about Ticonderoga, a town off of the NYS Thruway. She reminded me about Ticonderoga #2 pencils. That night on Jeopardy the answer to one of the clues was Ticonderoga #2 pencils.

On a separate night I was looking at the real estate section in Country Living magazine and just as I was looking at a house for sale in Leadville, Co. the answer to the Jeopardy clue was revealed: Leadville.

WTF?

There have been several more of these coincidences happening a lot recently. A friend told me that it means I am clueing into my surroundings and am in tune with the universe. Someone else told me to play the lottery. Remember, I am cheap, so I'm going with the universe theory. What the hell, right? It did get me to thinking though. I'm usually not one to go for "all things happen for a reason", but I was willing to get on board with this. I mean, why the hell not? Where's the harm?

So this is how I chalk up my year. I lost my job, which one could say presents new opportunities for me as a freelancer, but that doesn't come without hard work. I've been trying to stay positive and be open (to the universe???) to whatever comes my way, good or bad. The bad: being injured on what seems like a regular basis and having my training constantly interrupted; frustrating. The good: It has forced me to focus on what may be the thing I really need to focus on right now, me and my work.

A note about my work. It isn't just work for me. It is my life. I am lucky enough to be able to do what I love and get paid for it (although I would argue the pay is not enough...freelance does not mean 'free'). This requires my attention almost constantly; it's not just getting my resume together and hitting the pavement. My designs/art are my resume.

So yeah, I am disappointed about my training. I am disappointed about having to drop out of the marathon and possibly (probably) the Tough Mudder. I put in three solid months of training and yet, I'm ok with it. Part of me feels like I should be kicking and screaming like a 2 year old, but I really am at peace with it. Besides, what good would it do me?

This is where I'm going to get all hippy dippy on you. I've been talking to my muse. I saw a TED talk where idea of talking to your muse came up and I figured what the hell. Now, I don't go about walking the streets of NYC talking to myself, not that anyone would notice, but at home, alone, I will yell at it, cajole it, beg it, sweet talk it into sending me inspiration. Yeah, I know, but like I said, what the hell.

What it amounts to is this, me, being open and accepting. Not in a lame-ass just go with the flow and not fight for anything sort of way, but knowing when to fight and when to accept. I'm not a religious person, but I guess the Serenty Prayer is really the best way to sum it up:

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Rest In Peace

2011-10-06T09:12:00.002-04:00

30 Day Challenge: Day 6

2011-10-04T09:53:00.000-04:00

I am doing a 30 Day Challenge. I'm no going to do it for 30 day straight; that has already been established...so on with it....

6. Your view on mainstream music.

I have no view. I can see nothing from atop my lofty perch or superiority. All kidding aside, I have no idea. I don't listen to the radio, does anyone? I am so woefully uninformed when it comes to current music. I usually find myself listening to 1st Wave on XM Radio; 80's alternative or new wave stuff. I am a huge fan of jazz, but old school stuff: Coltrane, Miles, Parker, Nina, Ella, Ellington...you get it. I also like classical and am not too picky about that. Yes, I know all the words to many classic rock tunes too, but I'm looking backwards instead of ahead.

If I find myself liking something current, I've usually found it quite by accident. Usually during a musical interlude during a podcast, a commercial, a movie, etc. My current 'Repeat item' on my ipod are these two songs.

"Riverside" by Agnes Obel

and "I Follow Rivers" by Lykke Li (the river theme here is merely coincidence)

Foto Friday: Preempted by 30 Day Challenge

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Day 5: Something you would say to an ex:I'm sorry.

30 Day challenge: Day 4

2011-09-29T10:55:00.000-04:00

I am doing a 30 Day Challenge. I'm going to try to do it for 30 days straight, but no promises (couldn't do it!).

4. Bullet your whole day.

*Alarm; hit snooze, repeat, repeat, repeat, finally got up.

*Made coffee, oatmeal, woke kid, checked email.

*Fought with kid to get dressed, make bed, brush teeth, put on socks and shoes.

*Walked kid to school.

*Stopped at drugstore: sympathy card, toothpaste, hair styling product, lunch containers (tupperware), hair bands.

*Came home had coffee.

*TRX

This is from a different day, but I can't take a pic of myself and illustrate proper form *cough*

*Took shower (no picture of that).

*Design, design, design, design, repeat (while listening to podcasts).

*Lunch

black bean, sweet potato & quinoa burger

*Design, design, design, design, repeat (while listening to podcasts) again.

*Go pick up kid from school/stop at playground.

*Go home, make dinner.

*Play with kid.

*Get kid ready for bed, read story, lights out.

*Check email, read blogs.

*Watch Project Runway (yes, it's kind of jumped the shark, but I love the whole design process).

*Wash face, brush teeth, floss.

*Read in bed until I fall asleep. (reading: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks)

My 15 Minutes....Again

2011-09-27T10:11:00.002-04:00

I feel like Snookie! I'm getting way more exposure than I deserve (ok, well one of us deserves it more than the other and I am going with me!) Remember my original 15 minutes? Well, I am getting a second chance at stardom. Ok, maybe that is taking things a bit too far, but I was approached a few weeks back by a blogger who wanted to interview me for her own licensing blog. This is totally unrelated to tri and more about the work that I do. I follow a ton of art/design/licensing/copyright blogs as well at tri blogs; now you understand why I am so absent sometimes, that is a lot of reading. They really help keep me focused on my work and are full of very kind and generous people exchanging information; much like the triathlon community. One of them is Alex Colombo who runs the blog The Moon From My Attic where she interviews different artists and designers in the licensing business.

You can read the interview with me here. Thanks for looking. I'll be back the the 30 Day Challenge soon, sorry for the hiccup.

Chiu On This

2011-09-23T15:39:00.000-04:00

"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." ~ Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard

I'm taking a break from the 30 Day Challenge to talk about something I noticed while sitting down to lunch with my son. The recent issue of TIME magazine was sitting there with an an uber closeup shot of Rick Perry.

I suddenly realized that there doesn't seem to have been any controversy surrounding this photo. It wasn't airbrushed to hide any of his imperfections. Well, imperfections based on the standard of beauty held by magazine editors globally. I'm sure that those same standards are held for men, right? Right?

Which brings me to my point. Remember all the kufuful about the Newsweek cover of Sarah Palin during the campaign for the Presidency? No? Let me remind you. Here is the cover.

In my humble and cosmetically challenged opinion, I think she looks good. Damn! If I looked that good that close up, I'd be happier than a fox in a hen house. But no......Apparently women are held to a different standard than men are when you're ready for your close up. Lets go to the videotape....

Now, I'll give you that Barak's cover at this time was 'softer'....

but he has had his fair share of covers in the glaring light of day, and yet this woman (Andrea, on the video) is beside herself. Huh.

"Any woman who sees this cover would be shocked and horrified!" Really? Overstating just a bit?

From the host, "Even the most gorgeous supermodels in the world, they retouch you to get rid of the flaws that human beings have. They didn't do this for Sarah Palin." And herein lies the problem. Why are our 'flaws' something to be ashamed of? Are they really flaws at all or just normal features of a human being: hair, wrinkles, pores, etc.

And, "Mortifying"? Sarah should be ashamed, embarrassed and humiliated? Um, no. I'm with Julia on this one.

And why does Andrea keep stating how upset every woman would be or should be about this cover? Is our self esteem so fragile that an extreme close up such as this should cause us to stick our collective heads in the sand? Granted, I am not the most photogenic human being and I would even say that I am mostly not very photogenic at all, but let's get a grip here.

I know this dead horse was beaten awhile ago, but seeing that Rick Perry cover caught my attention because of it's honesty. Why can't we embrace our wrinkles, our pores, our facial hair (Ok, I admit, I wax my upper lip)? Why, when our faces are revealed for what they truly are is it unacceptable? "mortifying"? "Why must we be shocked and horrified"?

I am not a fan of either Rick or Sarah; I do not subscribe to their brand of politics, but Rick Perry looks great and Sarah looks great. Now, Michelle Bachman on the other hand just looks plumb crazy! Now that I'd be upset about, even if there may be some truth behind that look! (I didn't really just say that, did I?)

30 Day Challenge: Day 3

2011-09-21T16:32:00.000-04:00

I am doing a 30 Day Challenge. I'm going to try to do it for 30 days straight, but no promises.

3. A book you love.

This is by far a tough one. I love the same one most people love for all the same reasons; To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. I am also a huge fan of The Secret History by Donna Tart. However, I'm going to go with Skippyjon Jones, Lost In Spice, by Judy Schacher from my son's bookshelf.

How can you not love a book where the main character is named Skippyjon Jones, to say nothing of his sisters names: Jilly Boo, Jezebel & Ju-Ju Bee.

It's full of fun things to say; all with a Spanish accent.

"You are not a Siamese Cat Dude. You are a weeck-ed red Chihuahua!"
"Poquito Tito!" exclaimed Skippito, "Is that you, amigo?"
"Dude, you don't need a space suit up here," said Poquito Tito. "You need a SPICE suit. Mars is covered in the chili powder, chico!"

Plenty of alliteration:

"Jumping jacks on Jupiter."
"Monkeys making meatballs."
"Tickle a termite"
"Holy Hoopleheads!"

Bad knock knock jokes:

"Who goes there?"
"Martian."
"Martian who?"
"Martian to your closet and get us some frijoles, dude."

A 2' excerpt from the book...I think I do the accent better, but that is just me and I have had LOTS of practice.

30 Day Challenge: Day 2

2011-09-20T11:15:00.002-04:00

I am doing a 30 Day Challenge. I'm going to try to do it for 30 days straight, but no promises.

2. Something you feel strongly about.

Education

The Arts {SOURCE}

Sports

30 Day Challenge: Day 1

2011-09-19T13:56:00.003-04:00

So Today I am completing day 1 of the 30 Day Challenge. Feel free to steal the idea if you are so motivated.

1. Find ways to win your heart.

My heart is already taken by the two boys in my life; this is what it took.

Hello Stranger...

2011-09-15T10:59:00.001-04:00

I have been absent. Maybe not conspicuously so, since my readership is small, but absent nonetheless. Life has been a bit crazy around these here parts. I'm still sidelined with foot issues and it isn't looking good so far. I've been doing TRX and started riding bike again (Hello, lady bits! Ouch!). This is very frustrating since I had three months training under my belt for the marathon. I can defer, and have until November 2 to decide. It isn't the end of the world, but it is disappointing just the same. It has been a challenging year to say the least, not just with training. However, I am keeping perspective and trying to remain positive.

Titus (just another of many nicknames my poor kid has been saddled with) started Kindergarten last week and that has comes with reams of paper to sign and hand in, events to volunteer for, committees to join, the extra set of clothes to send in, the snack week to sign up for, the kindergarten welcome dinner, the PTA meetings and on and on and on......

I am Titus's soccer coach this season. That is something I did not plan for. we were wait listed and if you volunteer to help out, you are moved up the list. I am not sure if this is ethical or not, but since the league relies on parental volunteers (refs, coaches, etc.) they need every body they can get. It also helps keep the cost down. Titus was eager to play so I said I would volunteer in order to ensure a spot for him. Next thing I know I receive and email that I am head coach for his team. I'm ok, with that, but there is a bit of disorganization in the organization. They have been around for a long time so I was a bit surprised by this. This forces me to filter information when I have to send it to the parents on my team. I also went to a meeting of all of the Under 6 coaches this week. 24 of us in the room, I was the only female coach. REALLY? I guess we women do enough everywhere else, we might has well delegate the sports aspect of rearing to our husbands? I know I would, but my hubby knows less than zero about soccer and his job forces him to travel a lot. Got to find something else for him to do whether he likes it or not; Mama needs a break! Saturday is our first game. Go team!

I was asked to be on my Co-op board. I am thinking, no. If you don't live in NYC (or any large city) you may not know what this is. If you live in a co-op (cooperative) you own shares of the building you live in. There is a board that decides what the building needs (repairs, renovations, etc.) and makes decisions regarding those needs (and sometimes with a vote from all the owners-not every owner is on the board). I think I made that as clear as mud.

I am also working like mad to get a good collection of work for the NY Tabletop show at the end of October. What this means is I am creating tons of dinnerware patterns with the hope of selling them to manufacturers.

My plate is full (no pun intended) so you won't see much of me for the next month. I'll just be popping in and out.

Lastly. Because I don't have much training wise to write about these days, I found an idea floating around out there in the art/design blogs I read. It's a 30 day challenge which I will NOT be completing in 30 days, but over an undetermined number of days. Let's see how that goes.

1. Find ways to win your heart.
2. Something you feel strongly about.

3. A book you love
4. Bullet your whole day
5. Things you want to say to an ex
6. Your view on mainstream music
7. Five pet peeves
8. What you ate today
9. How important you think education is
10. Put your music player on shuffle and write the first ten songs that play
11. Your Family
12. Five guys/girls you find attractive
13. Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it
14. What you wore today
15. Your zodiac/horoscope and if you think it fits your personality
16. Something you always think "what if. . ." about
17. Something that you are proud of
18. A problem you have had
19. Five items you lust after
20. Your fears
21. How you hope your future will be like
22. Your Academics
23. Something that you miss
24. Five words/phrases that make you laugh
25. Something you are currently worrying about
26. Things that you like/dislike about yourself
27. A quote you try to live by
28. Somewhere you would like to move or visit
29. Five weird things that you like
30. One thing you are excited for

Foto Friday: Iceland

2011-09-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is from my sister and her husband's trip to Iceland. What a beautiful country...You can see more from their worldly travels here.

Iceland's Ring Road - The Ultimate Road Trip from The Rogue Unit on Vimeo.

Ten Years Today

2011-09-08T10:37:00.001-04:00

Thank you for the best 10 years of my life....ok, 16 really, if you count dating....LOVE YOU!!!

I'll Be Brief

2011-09-07T13:57:00.001-04:00

It's been awhile, I know. I have had the most interesting two weeks in terms of weather, travel, training, work, etc. I'll try not to bore you with the non newsworthy stuff and give it to you bullet point style:

*Took my son to my parents to spend a week.
*My sis was in from LA. So happy to see her! I miss her.
*I traveled back to NYC to meet Irene, which turned out to be a non issue for us, thankfully.
*Time by myself alone, no husband and no son, at home, being lazy was awesome. It didn't last long.
*Our planned vacation to the Outer Banks was squashed by Irene and my hubby's 'call to duty' to cover it; poor guy.
*We salvaged a few days in the Adirondacks on Mirror Lake (aka Lake Placid). So much devastation. So very sad to see.
*Training: The Good: I got to swim in a lake, I miss swimming outside, which I don't get to do very often in a good summer (location). The Bad: My run is not so good. I am sidelined with some heel issues (Achilles insertion? PF? I wish I knew).
*I haven't run in 6 days and I still woke up hobbling out of bed. damn! I am going nuts.
*My son was spoiled rotten by his grandparents, I suppose that is as it should be.
*School starts tomorrow. Kindergarten!!!!
*I have a design show at the end of October for which I have a ton of work to do.
*4 days vacation was not enough. Especially when two of them were spent in the car for many hours.
*I can't stop worrying about running. I can't stop worrying about design/work. I can't stop worrying about money. I can't stop worrying. Period.
*I guess I could have titled this "The Bitching Post".
*I have a headache.

Foto Friday: Let's Be Blunt

2011-08-19T11:16:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here with my feet submerged in a bucket of ice water, ah...........Damn feet and ankles, I'm like a little old lady hobbling around in the morning. I digress.....

These little gems are courtesy of Bluntcard.com. You should check them our for a good laugh; I left some of the better ones behind in the interest of a semi-family friendly post (I know, why change now? Whatever.)

I had to do this last Halloween, greedy bastards (so far family friendly has failed).

Thursday and Saturday night usually....

...and the beer. Oh, and that bottle of vodka in the freezer.

Not to belittle what happened, but I couldn't resist. Reminds me of the Smiths song, "Panic in the streets of London..."

Not sure why, but this makes me laugh every time.

Exactly!

I'll be using this soon enough.

A NYC pastime.

23, to be exact (holy crap! That is now more than half my life. How did that happen?)

I still complain.

Hair Raising

2011-08-17T14:34:00.001-04:00

My last post was one of my more popular, go fig. Who knew 70s & 80s fashion would draw so much attention (and laughter). Ok, I knew, or at the very least, I guessed it would. I received a lot of comments from people who had never been to my blog before, READ: non triathletes. Someone came clean and told me from whence they came. Turns out someone posted a link from a blog called Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Now, how can you not love a site called Smart Bitches?! You cannot. Especially when it comes with the byline, "All of the romance, none of the bullshit." The author also Tweeted the link. I have been tweeted!! *Sniff*, excuse me while I compose myself, I am so happy! However, credit where it is due; my mom sent me all those images that will be seared into your memory forever, for that, I apologize (yeah, not really).

Moving on. Hair. This one is for you, ladies. I'm not talking bodily hair here (ew!). I am talking race day hair, people. I have long hair. It is a pain in the ass to deal with when it comes to going from swim cap to bike helmet to visor. All of you with lovely, thick hair look fantastic in braids or braid, singular. I do not. Why? I have lots of hair, but it is thin. My braids look like some kind of strangled creature that Darwin's theory of natural selection forgot to weed out. It is hopeless. I am forever adjusting that small tangled mass of hair from up on my crown to down on my nape for the bike helmet and never looking fabulous as we are want to do for our race day photos, am I wrong?

I have never been one to bother much with my hair. All that braiding, plaiting, tying up of strands is all so bewildering to me. It's like some strange enigma, the answer of which will always elude me. Well, I have finally unraveled the mystery of the two strand fishbone braid, or whatever the hell it's called. I'm a bit old for braids, but as you can tell, I generally don't give a crap anyway. Age, smage.

Here is a photo of what it looks like when finished so you can see the detail.

Here is the video showing you how to do it. Please, be kind, my malasma is kicking and I look like shit, be gentle, dear reader. (I don't know why the video is always breaking up like this in the beginning when using PhotoBooth, anyone? Give it a sec it will clear).

Foto Friday: For Men...Of A Certain Style

2011-08-12T09:21:00.000-04:00

My mom saved the day today with these gems. I was a kid to pre teen in the 70s so I kind of remember some of these styles. The ones that follow though from the 80s? Oh, I remember them really well, too well. I'd like to think I was laughing at these fashion absurdities even then, but sadly, I doubt it.

I am ashamed to admit that my mom made my sisters and I very similar pjs as kids, minus the bonnet and booties; thank God for small miracles.

Read the red box: You couldn't find anyone better looking than the Manson brothers to make your point?

Ah Men? More like Amen that this fashion statement's time in the sun is over.

"You know it's hard out here for a pimp..."

Star Trek called, they want their uniforms back.

Yeah, things happen. Like women running away screaming in fear.

$95 for that coat? Whatever the price it is too much.

Open mesh underwear, now why didn't I think of that? Look how high on his waist the guy in yellow is wearing in boxers, he's gonna hurt himself.

Men In Belted Sweaters. Sounds like some kind of exposé.

Your thinking the jumpsuit is the funny part, but no, read the print. "Quick as a flick of her tongue", "She'll eat you alive in it", um, think again. Who wrote this shit?

Let's take a trip to the 80s, shall we?

Hello parachute pants, how I've missed you....not.

Surf Wear? I'm guess my peeps in Hawaii would say, "no".

Nothing need be said.

I love the fake 5 o'clock shadow.

BA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!

Hello Mudder, Hello Fadder

2011-08-09T11:27:00.000-04:00

No, this is not the post about camping in Central Park. I know, you are so disappointed. Patience Grasshopper. Instead I'm just announcing that I, for better or worse (probably worse), have signed up for the Tough Mudder. However, I am going to call it the Tough Mother, cuz I feel like a bad ass mom. Note: this race takes place exactly one week after the NYC Marathon. Yeah, I know. I have been dying to do one of these races for a while, so I am stoked. I'm doing it with a team which is great, because I will need people (men) to push my ass over the wall. Not in a sexy hey-you've-got a cute-ass-let-me-help-you-over-this-wall type of way, but more like a let's-get-her-fat-ass-over-that-wall-so-we-don't-come-in-last-place kind of way. I think it is the one thing I am not going to be able to do under my own strength. I'll be hitting the monkey bars at my kids playground and the rings down at the park. Move over Ru Paul, there's a new bitch in town.

Race Report: NYC Tri Volunteer Perspective

2011-08-07T20:28:00.002-04:00

I should be in Spain.....le sigh. Instead, I find myself here, stateside, with and no race to run. I knew this was going to be the case for a while, so with that in mind, I decided to volunteer for my favorite race, the New York City Triathlon. Why is it my favorite? For starters, it is 8 blocks from my apartment, I can walk to transition and there is nothing like running a race in your home town especially when it is NYC.

My weekend started with a night of camping in Central Park. Who does that? I do! There was a lottery held for that special privilege. I decided to play the NY State lottery last night. I figured I have had good luck with them so far this year: the NYC Marathon, the camping thing. Still have to check my numbers, fingers crossed. I took my son camping with me since he had been asking to go. I'll do a separate post on that little adventure (because I know you want to see a whole post dedicated to that), but I can tell you this, I did not sleep AT ALL. Not an auspicious beginning to a very long weekend. Especially with a 2:25 run on deck for the following morning. My son? Slept like a rock. Figures.

When I signed up to volunteer I made the decision to be a Volunteer Captain (VTC). This meant being put in charge of a group of volunteers in a specific area on the course. I chose the Bike In/Out. Our responsibility was to make sure the cyclists were corralled in the right direction onto the course, made aware of the sharp turn and hill at the entrance to the course, keep them from crashing in to the swimmers coming in the opposite direction and then making sure to point them in the right direction toward their transition area when they returned (there were two transition areas: yellow and red).

Let's make this part into a 'long story, short':

Friday:

Camp out (no sleep....NO. SLEEP.)

Saturday:

6 AM wake up (who needs to wake up when you never went to sleep?) and pack up.

8 AM long run scheduled (so not happening)
8AM 1.5 hours of sleep.

11:30 AM meet volunteer group and go over our jobs.
1-4 PM Nap Fail (why, oh why?)

8:30 PM bedtime (finally, sleep.....Son wakes with croup in the night)

Sunday:

3:45 AM wake up and head to transition.

4:30-5:30 AM we are doing lots of body marking in the rain. Not an easy task. People! No lotion of sunscreen before body marking!

5:30 AM get volunteers in place.

5:50 AM Race start, Pros!

Ok, that didn't happen. Apparently there was a very bad accident on the highway in the wee hours (as in "we" are all up at this crazy hour?) that was on the bike course. This had to be cleared before the race could start. It was delayed until 6:20 or so. Let's see....Saturday night, driving north, headed to Jersey....I'm guessing alcohol related crash?

Finally things got underway. I never get to see the pros for obvious reasons when I am racing. They are damn fast. When they came out of the water they were booking! Holy crap. Both the men and the women. That was pretty cool to see. And their bodies? Holy hello goodness. They don't bother with the showers (to get the icky Hudson River off) or wetsuits, for that matter. Did I mention that there was a fire at the water treatment plant a few weeks ago which spewed 200 million gallons of raw sewage into the Hudson? No? Never mind then. (yes, they checked the water every day and there was a river race last weekend and well, no one asked you to swim in it, I'm just glad I was 'spectating' this year)

Shortly after the pros and elites came through all the women AGers, Ahtenas and men 55+ came in droves (all yellow transition). It was somewhere in the middle of this swarm that the unthinkable happened. Two people were pulled out of the water in cardiac arrest. I was standing right where they were tending to them and we had to stop the flow of bikes and swimmers to let the EMTs through with both of them. I have never in my life seen chest compressions being performed on a lifeless body; it was chilling, and disconcerting to see. I hope never to see that again. Sadly, the 64 year old man did not survive and the 40 year old woman is in critical condition. Only once before has there been a death at this race. You don't think about that as part of the risk of racing. I am sad for their families and my thoughts are with them.

It is my understanding from a friend of mine who did the race, that the chop was pretty bad and a lot of people were hanging on kayaks and using noodles (I have NEVER seen that in this race) and the lifeguards were really busy. My friend is an retired EMT, swimming with the first responders wave. He said at first it seemed comical to see, but then it was quickly obvious that there were too many people in there having a hard time.

After all the yellow transition people finished going through there was a 20 minute break and then the red transition started their race: paratriathletes, first responders, Clydesdale and the men AGers. Meanwhile the pros started coming back in for the run. Everyone was concerned about the folks we saw carried away, but no one knew their status at that time. I think we all said a silent prayer for them.

It was really interesting to see the various people who came out to do this race. I saw some of my friends go through, which was cool. There were some awesome bikes, some not so awesome bikes (saw someone finish the course on a Dahon with clipless peddles, I somehow admire that), great attitudes and not so great attitudes. We got a lot of 'thank yous', which was nice. My group of volunteers was fantastic! Everyone was excited to be there and willing to do what was needed.

After everyone was out on the course, most of my volunteers were released, but a few of us stuck around until the last rider was off the course. I headed to the Yellow Bike-In chute. It's a lonely stretch with no one around. I stood in the middle and cheered my ass off for the last of the yellow people coming off the course. I managed to get a lot of smiles, some "I'm so glad to see you!", and "I finally made it!". Of course there were some sour faces, but I think they were just in a place of hurt. I then headed over to the Red Bike-In and stayed until their last guy came off the course. Even he had a smile on his face, nice!

I have volunteered at other races before, but it was nice to see my favorite race from the outside looking in. I learned a lot about how it is run, met some great folks and had a great time. A nice bonus it that by volunteering, I earned a guaranteed entry into the race next year. Like the NYC marathon, this race has become a lottery event. I am exhausted, but happily so. Congrats to everyone who participated today and thanks to all the volunteers!!

**Sadly, I just found out the woman who was pulled from the water also died this morning.

Foto Friday: Milk Art

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone for your very kind feedback about the gray hair...either you think it really will look good or your parents just raised you to be polite, unlike my little urchin. Either way, Grazie!

I saw this video via the Curbly and Evie S. blogs. Basically, it's milk, food coloring and dish soap. Way cool. I plan on showing this to my 5 year old. The video is only 30 seconds, enjoy!

Super Fast Update

2011-08-02T11:22:00.000-04:00

I promise this will be a quick update to yesterday's post. Yesterday I told my son I was going to let my gray hair grow out (he is usually the first one to point out it needs coloring, thanks kid) and was met with something less than enthusiasm:

Me: So I think I'm going to grow my gray hair out.

Son: No! That's going to look awful!

Me: That's not very nice to say.

Son: I'm just sayin'. People are going to tell you it looks awful. (do I need to point out he is 5?)

**Nice kid I have, no? Clearly I am a lousy parent, he would have been better off raised by wolves.

Because I have zero patience, I kind of need to know what I have to look forward to with regards to growing out those grays. Some of you were like, "hell no! I wouldn't do it" I get it. When I was 37 I thought the same thing. I've been coloring for the last 10 years (34-44), so I understand. I'm just sick of it and it is gonna take some time to grow it out at this length. I also want to buck the myth that gray haired women are old, useless and unattractive. Men are lauded for their gray growth, looking debonair, sophisticated, experienced, blah, blah blah. I'm tired of the double standard. Anyway...I decided to photohop my hair to get a sense of what it will look like. Of course it could have more or less gray, but based on what I know when I've been behind in my coloring......I can live with it.

before (obviously)

after (even more obvious)

Mental Housekeeping

2011-08-01T13:04:00.000-04:00

A kind of random, get this off my chest, it's been on my mind kind of post, mostly about nothing.

*I am tired. That happens when you are not sleeping well. Hubby says I was talking in my sleep the other night. I never talk in my sleep.

*Had the most amazing meal last week when I took my hubby out for his birthday: Mojitos (yum!), Dulce: fire roasted sweet corn empanada, goat cheese, vine ripe tomatoes, garlic mojo and for the main course, Baby back ribs with BBQ chipotle sauce, corn on the cob (Mexican style with Queso Fresco), sweet potato fries. The main course was huge, but so yummy! I took most of it home...no dessert..no room!

*While my long run on Saturday was better than the one I had last weekend in the fires of hell, it was still hard. I also had tummy issues the night prior so only ate toast and grapes; not good fuel for a long run the next day. I threw up breakfast on the run and acquired matching blisters in my normal pair of shoes, go fig. Stellar!!

*Ever since I started doing triathlons I wake up with sore feet and ankles. It is even more prevalent now that I am running more and running barefoot. I hobble out of bed like an old woman, but then it goes away after I walk around for a couple of minutes. I am now doing ankle rotations, flexing and extending my ankles before I get out of bed. It helps some. Anyone else on this? Am i just old?

*Speaking of old. I joke about my age all the time, but really, I have no hangups about being 44. I am comfortable with it. I am a very casual dresser and pretty laid back, I don't wear makeup, but wear sunscreen religiously. So why am I still coloring my hair? I've decided not to any more. I'm going gray people. It is going to be ugly as I don't plan on cutting it short. I'm just sick of coloring it. I may have to still do a little of that while it grows out to even out my skunk line, but eventually I'll be done. I'm using Cindy Joseph's photo as my inspiration in case I start getting cold feet. And yes, I will be sharing this journey with you all!! Aren't you a bunch of lucky buggers?

This woman is 60! Gah! I am about 50% gray, probably much like this.

This was taken last summer, but my hair looks exactly the same now, maybe longer since I haven't cut it since October. See, low maintenance gal.

PS: My husband is not being very supportive, but it isn't for him to decide. So I am soldiering on!!!

*Did my first complete run in VFFs on Friday. I have been running barefoot (really bare. foot.) working my way up to a full run. I did :40. I am planning on doing :50 this afternoon. Why I felt I needed to wear the VFFs is a mystery. I haven't been running in them at all, only barefoot, yet I felt I should. Interesting how the logic of the mind works......or doesn't work.

*I was recently asked to help contribute some thoughts or memories, etc. for current school age kids about growing up and going to school in the 80s (as if they care). It is all a blur, but I do have one funny memory:

In 1980 I was in the 7th grade and I was just about to turn 13 at the end of the school year. I had planned a birthday party in my parent’s basement, cuz that is what you did back in the day. Not any of this ridiculous, expensive nonsense I see these day with clubs, and hired musicians, party planners. Sorry, got carried away. Anyhoo....my friends had asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I knew exactly what to request: an album/record called “October” by a band called U2. Who? They asked, Never heard of them. Don’t worry, just look for it in the store, I am sure you will find it.

What makes this funny to me, is the fact that there was a time when U2 was barely known, even for very music conscious preteens. Also, that they would have to go to a store and buy a record. Today you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to acquire music, and as for it being a record....well, that predates even CDs. Please tell me they know what a CD is?

On the heels of that, comes this: Recently on a post by Jeff, he used a line from a Pearl Jam song as his post title and challenged his readers to guess where it was from. Jon got it right and said something to the effect, "Wow, that really takes me back to 1997/1998 when I was 14/15 years old." I really got a kick out of that. Going waaaaaaay back, ha! I mean, hell, he wasn't even born when I was requesting that U2 record! Love it!

*The Chelsea Hotel closed it's doors to new reservations. Only the existing tenants are able to stay. It is going to go through some big changes, although the management denies this. An end of an era. A NYC institution comes to an end. Manhattan is like a suburban strip mall these days. There is no grittiness left here; it's a shame. NYC just ain't what it used to be.

*I'm way behind in doing this, I always forget. I wanted to congratulate Jon, Mandy and Mary (who earned a Kona spot despite a body that wouldn't cooperate) all the other athletes who did IMLP last weekend. I followed you all day. I'm so happy and proud of you guys, I feel like a mother hen! Seriously, well done guys!!

Foto Friday: I'm Late

2011-07-29T13:12:00.001-04:00

No!!! "I'm late" does not mean I am pregnant! I'm just late posting today....geez....Once again, my mom saves the day.

Review: Chasing Some Skirt

2011-07-28T11:54:00.005-04:00

**UPDATE: Idiot that I am, I forgot pics....

When I was growing up I hated dresses and skirts. Hated. I remember the first time I summoned up the cojones to wear a dress to school. I was in the 7th grade. I knew I was going to get teased mercilessly; I have no idea what possessed me. It's somehow reassuring to know that I could see what was coming, on the other hand, it really sucked to know I was right. The worst bit though was when one of the boys thought it was funny to lift my skirt up in middle of a packed hallway. Stupid boy. Small boy (as in smaller than me). It so happened that I had my gym clothes in my locker. I went and changed into them and then beat the crap out of him. Needless to say, he never gave me trouble again....ever.

I've since grown up, although one could argue that as a matter of opinion. My tastes have also changed. It so happens that I love wearing skirts and dresses now. I mean, what's not to love? They are easy, breezy and comfortable. Especially when the mercury is flirting with the fires of hell. Where am I going with this? Two words: Running skirt.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Some of you wouldn't be caught dead in a running skirt/skort. I've heard all the arguments: it's so girly, too feminine, etc. etc. That is such a cop out. Bitch please. We are women and most of us are feminine to a degree or at certain times, what is the problem with that? Hell, in the same day I wore a dress I also beat the crap out of a boy. It didn't change the fact that I was still a girl. As for 'girly'? What the heck does that mean? Only girls wear skirts and not women? I have a black belt and still like to wear a dress. Got a problem with that? Then meet me on the playground at 3 o'clock. (I do draw the line at makeup, not for me, but feel free!) In any case, if you aren't interested you are free to leave now......we'll wait........

Ok, for those of you still with me....I have never been averse to wearing a running skirt/skort, but I've got thigh issues. No matter how thin I have been in my life, and I have been thin a time or two (but let's not go there), I have still had chaffing. I cannot wear running shorts like these.

Is there anyone on the face of the planet that doesn't own a pair besides me? I see them EVERYWHERE. I can't wear them or any other such short. they get all bunched up in the crotch area and then, next thing I know, I am lighting fires between my legs with all the chaffing going on (yes, Body Glide helps, but it is still an uncomfortable sensation. And while we are on the subject of Body Glide, why the hell can't they make it smell better than an old pair of sweaty socks?). Instead, I am confined to wearing compression style shorts for running, much like these.

{source}

This works fine for me and they are pretty much the same as tri shorts minus the chamois. And yes, I suppose I could wear these under the running shorts, but I will not, the running shorts just ride up around my waist on the slippery Lycra of the compression shorts and I will be forever adjusting on my run. Moving on.....I've been craving something different and needed some new shorts anyway. I had been thinking about a running skirt/skort for some time, but never found anything I liked or thought would work for me with all of my 'issues'. I usually find it's a built in brief instead of shorts, the inseam is too short, no gripper at the hem to keep the shorts from riding up on my leg or it is just too damn expensive.

Enter the Brooks PR Mesh Skort II (full disclaimer, I am a Brooks ID member, but was not asked to review any product and am giving my honest opinion). I love this running skort! I was worried when I pulled it out of the package, I thought, "No way this is going to fit me, too small." I am a size medium in most everything and ordered that size in this skort. Although skeptical at the way it looked coming out of the package, in terms of size, it fit perfectly!

Brooks PR Mesh Skort II


Shorts underneath


silicone leg grippers

I have worn this skort twice: one run for 1:15 and a second run for a 2:00 trail run. It was so comfy and cute. Yes, cute. I know, I am not much into the cuteness factor, but hell, I spend so much time in workout gear, I might as well look good (or cute, if that is at all possible at a certain age).

After my 2 hour run...notice my blurry, muddy ankles (sorry the shot is such crap).

What I love about this skort:

*The fabric is very lightweight and breathable, yet the shorts are still supportive.

*The legs have a silicone gripper hem so the shorts wont ride up (huge +)

*A wide waistband, so no binding and no muffin top!! (Cue the chorus: Hallelujah!!!)

*A back zip pocket at the waist and a pocket on the side of the shorts for cash or keys.

*Inseam is 4.5", although I usually go for 6" these were long enough and stayed in place.

*The price: $46. That is pretty darn good compared to other similar race skirts out there.

What I don't like:

My complaint is minor. They come in solid colors: black, grey, two tone, royal blue and magenta. Brooks has some cool prints that I have seen them use on the waistbands of some of their other run skorts. Would love to see those prints on these either as a waistband or all over print. That aside, I've ordered a another one! Happy Running!

My First Long Training Run & Other Thoughts On Running

2011-07-25T12:42:00.000-04:00

I figure I better get this in quick before the really important posts on IMLP hit the webwaves. I have been doing long runs on Saturdays, but this one was organized in Central Park by the NYRR. You had a choice to run anywhere from 6-20 miles. Coach had me run 11. As you know, the heat across most of the country has been Africa hot and NYC, while not getting hit for the same duration of time as the midwest, did get some of it over the weekend.

Friday we broke records with a reading of 104˚F in Central Park and a heat index of 115˚F. Simultaneously, this past week I have been living in the House of Plague. My poor kid had a fever, yet again, of 103˚ for the third time in a week; some crazy virus going around. My hubby was also out of commission with similar fever and migraines. I faired the best with a just a 24-36 hour fever, but cramping that lasted a few days longer. Nothing worse than having fever when it is like Hades outside.

Saturday I got up at 5:30 AM. The run was scheduled to start at 7:00. At 5:30 it was 85˚F with 75% humidity already and I was drenched with sweat by the time I walked over to the start 40 minutes later. NYRR had sent out an email letting us know they were closing the run down early at 9:30 because of the heat advisories and air quality warnings, so they started on time. They had 5 aid stations and added three misting stations which were pretty lame, but one. They had ambulances around and lots of volunteers along the course. They also had us pacing :30-1:00 slower than whatever pace we corralled in.

Coach told me to get in with the 10:00 pace crowd. She has a lot of faith in me. I've been ridiculous slow in my aerobic base training. Granted, she told me to just do what I could having come off being sick, but add the heat to it an it was a struggle all the way around. Of course, that's not saying I would have done any better if all things were normal.

The first lap (6 miles), This guy in a green shirt kept sticking with me and when he was a bit ahead of me he would look back and then fall back with me. He finally admitted he was using me as his pacer. Flattered as I was I was sure he would regret it later. He eventually outran me in the second loop (5 miles), then I saw him lining up for a third loop of 4 additional miles. Nice.

My miles looked like this:

1: 10:06 HR 150
2: 10:21 HR 160
3: 10:27 HR 162
4: 10:40 HR 166
5: 11:23 HR 166
6: 10:58 HR 164
7: 11:51 HR 164 (after mile 6 they regrouped us to start the second lap)
8: 11:54 HR 162
9: 12:23 HR 164
10: 12:54 HR 163
11: 11:37 HR 165 (2:04:33)
Did another .17 miles, course differential from

I really, really did not want to keep going after mile 7. I was so miserable, so hot, so tired. I walked every aid station to make sure I was staying hydrated plus one cup over my head. I thought for sure I would just give up before mile 9. I swore I would not be able to finish. Next thing I knew I was at mile 9. Oh well, only 2 miles left, I might as well finish it, right? I was dragging ass by now, I was so hot and I felt a little chilled and goosebumpy. I know this is not good, but it wasn't that bad so I pushed on. I admit I walked a couple of times in the last 2-3 miles and walked the last hill. My Garmin was counting off the miles before I got to the mile markers and I thought I will just bail when it tells me I have hit 11. Oh, what the hell, I might as well finish it.....11.17 miles by my Garmin.

What was going trough my head on my run:

I am disappointed I couldn't maintain a 10:00 or even 10:30 pace.

I am so slow.

I want to quit.

I am so hot.

I cannot run a marathon, what was I thinking.

This is going to be a miserable failure.

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I must look like a dying woman out here.

I cannot wait for this to be over.

I know....the evil inner voices of negativity. In the end about the only thing I was proud of was completing 11 miles in those conditions, even if it wasn't pretty or fast. I felt like I conquered 'something', although I don't exactly know what that is.

I get really excited sometimes about running. I feel really positive and happy. I feel like I am making progress. Then I have a shit run or a crap run test, I see the pace, I keep time and then the realization that I am not better, not faster, not good at it sends me straight to the bottom floor. And yet, here I am. still getting up and doing it. I ran this morning for an easy :50 with strides and it was fine. Of course I didn't check my HR, my pace or anything; just ran by feel and ran most of it barefoot. I was happy again. It's a real struggle for me mentally; wanting so badly to just let my run be what it is and be content vs. putting in the time and the effort to be faster and better despite the disappointments. C'est la vie.

Foto Friday: In Memoriam

2011-07-22T14:39:00.001-04:00

Remembering my sister, Jodi who passed away this day 14 years ago. I like this photo with my two sisters because, let's be honest, there is a lot of hair in it. So iconic of the late 80s early 90s. It also looks like it should be on Awkward Family Photos; I'm sure we'd be laughing about it now (Jodi is the one in front).

Foto Friday: Farewell

2011-07-15T11:31:00.002-04:00

The space shuttle Atlantis launched last week bringing with it an end to the shuttle program that has lasted 30 years. My husband was there to cover it and took this video with his personal camera. He gets to do all the fun stuff, not fair!!

Running To The Beat

2011-07-13T14:56:00.002-04:00

About two or three weeks ago I had dinner with a friend of mine. She isn't a triathlete, but she runs about 6 miles 3 times a week. She inquired as to what races/training I have been doing and the long and short of it is, I told her that I had been doing some barefoot running. Her next question, the inevitable one, was "Have you read Born To Run?"

I believe I may have been the last person on the planet who had not read that book. She told me it was really good. I have been resistant to reading this book because I had the notion (not sure where from) that this was some kind of technical running book (zzzzzzz!). However, on her good advice I picked it up at the library. I am close to completing it and I was dead wrong; it is a very good book. I am sure you already know that seeing as how everyone else has read it, but me.

This isn't a book review at all though. I was just inspired by something I read in there and had an "ah ha!" moment. Which you will, no doubt, see as a "duh!" moment. We all know that the recommended cadence for running is 180 steps/minute (counting footfalls for both feet) or 90 steps/minute (counting footfalls for one foot). My Garmins (305 and FR 50 with footpod) can track my cadence, but that requires looking at my watch a lot. I don't use my 305 much, but my FR50 with the HR monitor. I run for time and not pace at the moment. In the past I have been very close at around 85-86, but lately, I have no idea where I'm at. I'd like to get used to the feeling of what 90 BPMs (just for arguments sake) feels like. In the book the author has an electronic metronome attached to him so he can run in time to the beat (you could also purchase a tempo trainer for $30). I'm thinking, I don't have one of those, but I do have an ipod (shuffle) and there must be metronome beats out there that I can download as mp3s. Indeed there is. I found this site that has a whole folder full of them from 80 bpm-200 bpm. They work great!

This, however can be a bit monotonous. So I decided that maybe I would create my own in Garage Band. That was actually fun to do and there is a tutorial here for a simple drumbeat file. You can hear the one I made by clicking on the player in the upper right corner of my sidebar and there is a button (small arrow) if you want to download it. Of course I am no musician, but if you have Garage Band you can make your own, it's kind of fun.

Lastly, I have tons of music in my iTunes library. Alas, they don't come with the BPM info. Yes, there are software programs out there that will work it out for you. I have found them pretty unreliable, so won't mention any names here, but certainly you can Google them. I found something simpler if a little time consuming. This site lets you tap out the beat of a song on your space bar as you listen to your music and gives you the BPM for that song (usually 10-15 taps will do the trick). Simple.

I've since used the metronome and my Garage Band track to run and it made a huge difference. It kept me from going too fast or too slow. I found that my breathing was a lot more regular and my HR more even. Obviously, if you are a fast runner or you are doing speed work, this may not be for you. I am, however, doing a lot of aerobic base running and it is great for that.....for me.

I should mention, I usually don't wear an ipod when I run, so this felt weird for me. I sometimes, just have one ear bud in. I can see in the future just popping it in my ear during a run to check if I am on track; a sort of cadence refresher, if you will. and then taking it out again. I like to be unencumbered when I run...somehow that translates to my ear buds not be assaulted when I run (I save that for other moments of inspiration). You could also use this for cycling although most of us have cadence counters on our cyclometers. I don't advocate using an ipod while riding on the road, but certainly on a trainer. Just a thought since the recommended cadence is the same or similar.

I've compiled a list of songs from my library that fit the 90/180 BPM parameters or at least close to it.

Stripped/Shiny Toy Guns/91
Dear Diary/Pink/90
Turn Off The Light/ Nelly Furtado/90
I'm Like A Bird/Nelly Furtado/90
The Impression I Get/Mighty Might Bosstones/90
La Primavera/Manu Chao w/ Radio Bemba/90
Rock In Black/Go Home Productions/90
Son of A Preacher Man/Dusty Springfield/90
I'm Scared/Duffy/90
Tomorrow Wendy/Concrete Blonde/90
Limbo Rock/Chubby Checker/90 (yep! Believe it!)
Don't Lie/Black Eyed Peas/90
If I Were A Boy/Beyonce/90
No One/Alicia Keys/90

She Makes Me Wanna Die/Tricky/89
Ready Or Not/Fugees/89
If They Could They Would/Foundation/89 (Reggae)
Back In Black/AC/DC/89
Many Rivers To Cross/UB40/88
The More You Ignore Me/The Smiths/88
Me Gustas Tu/Manu Chao/88
Miss Independent/Kelly Clark/88
I'm Still In Love With You/Sean Paul/88

Standing Next To Me/The Last Shadow Puppets/186
La Belle et le Bad Boy/MC Solar/182
Modern Love/David Bowie/181
Sweet and Tender Hooligan/The Smiths/180
Tenderness/General Public/180
What'd I Say/Ray Charles/178
Behind The House/Neko Case/178
The Beast/Concrete Blonde/178
I'm On Fire/Bruce Springsteen/178

Happy running!

The Genesis of Marathon Training

2011-07-11T16:20:00.002-04:00

As it pertains to me. Yes, I would love to say that it was indeed I who started it all, but alas, that is not so. I am merely one woman trying to make it to the finish line without dying in the process.

Boy, where to start? I always have tons of thoughts in my head when I am running and then I sit down and....nothing. I need to carry one of those Dictaphone (am I showing my age?) type thingys to keep track of my random thoughts, "Note on aerobic base: it is slow, it is long." Well, maybe not that mundane. I swear my thoughts seem much more interesting when I am in the act of running, but then they are my thoughts and I manage to amuse only myself (the 5 year old is a tough audience of one). I say running, but really, at the moment it is more like jogging.

I have revisited the HR training and am working some slow miles building my aerobic base. I have to say, just running with no bike and swim on the TP calendar is somewhat liberating. Oddly, although I love the bike best of all, I miss the swimming most. I ache to be able to swim well. I ache to be in the water even when I look at the Hudson River. I don't feel the same way when I look at the pool. But we are not discussing swimming, we are discussing running (or jogging, in my case)!

I so, so, so want to love running. I don't hate it, but I want to love it. I am trying to let the love just come to me by just running. I am hopeful. I am also back to barefoot running for a portion of my runs. I am up to 35 minutes. After injuring my calf a few months ago by going out too strongly I am taking it very slow now. My thoughts on barefoot running are broad. At the moment I am truly barefoot running, as in, no vibrams, etc., only the soles of my feet, the very dirty soles of my feet (my pumice is working overtime).

Why am I barefoot running? I am trying to stave off my ITB pain (so far so good), I like to mix things up and I am curious. I start my runs in my Brooks Launch, which I do love. Then somewhere in my run I take them off and a strange thing happens. My pace seems to stay the same (I'll be checking that in my next run), but my HR drops...a lot, and I feel my whole body relax. I am not a scientist and I know very little about sports science or physical science of the body in particular. I can't help but wonder though, since your feet have so many nerve endings (like your hands and face) and are more sensitive, does the act of true barefoot running act as some kind of 'massage'? Is the massaging act of running on your feet what makes the rest of you feel relaxed? Dunno. Just my very inexpert hypothesis.

I should add, that running barefoot in NYC has not been a problem, however, walking across my living room floor is dangerous. Toy traffic cones hurt!

When I put my sneakers back on, I am not happy. Suddenly my shoes make me feel like I am plodding along on two honking marshmallows strapped to my feet. This is no fault of the shoe, per se. But it has me thinking to go to a lesser soled shoe. Not quite vibrams or those Saucony Hattoris (have you seen those? I tried them on, like being barefoot, I guess). I am thinking of the Brooks Mach 12 Spikeless. Anyone try these? I will also be adding some trails in as my long runs get longer (um, coach? I hope this is ok?)....Or....I could wait and see what happens with the Brooks Pure Project (yeah, I don't speak German either).

These are some other random thoughts I have on long runs.

*I would love to do a sub 5 marathon (don't laugh)

*That guy/gal makes running fast look easy, he/she is hardly breathing!

*I only started running less than 3 years ago and I still am slower than molasses.

*I don't run fast enough to call myself a runner.

*How do people run a pace of 8:30 with an avg HR of 145? I would die.

*Am I too old to learn to run?

*Easy, light, easy, light, easy, light, fuck it.

*1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2......

*1, 2, 3, E, Z, 1, 2, 3, E, Z....
*I think there are doves roosting under my A/C.

*How do people do ultras? HOW, DAMN IT?!

*Joy of running, my ass.

*(and occasionally) This actually feels really nice today!

I promise something interesting in my next post. Well, maybe not so interesting for all you fast runners out there.....

Foto Friday: Ad It Up

2011-07-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

Wow, imaging my surprise when I logged into blogger and saw the whole new setup, geez. Don't sneak up on me like that, I'm a bit dodgy on the ticker!

Some funny ads from other places.

I think this is funny.

Best Quit Smoking ad EVER!

Newbie News

2011-07-05T12:49:00.000-04:00

I am not a pro, an elite or even a seasoned veteran. On some levels I would still even consider myself a newbie at triathlon. This is my third season doing tris and it was a short one at that, but that's another story. However, Jason over at Cook, Eat, Train, Race asked if wouldn't mind sharing any advice I might have with newbies just entering the sport for the first time and I was eager to oblige.

As it happens, I have a friend who has signed up for her very first triathlon and I enlisted her help (is that cheating?). I asked her to send me whatever questions she might have as she prepares for her first race. I also offer some general advice at the end of this post.

Concern:

The first thing she mentioned to me was not so much a question, but a concern about the swim. I think the swim is the scariest and most daunting of all the events if you are not already a swimmer. There is no doubt that swimming in open water has it's own particular set of challenges. Her main concern was building the endurance to make it through the swim without drowning. There are plenty of volunteers in the water at most races watching for anyone in distress, so you can set your mind at ease. Certainly you want to spend time in the pool working on your endurance. Even if your technique isn't up to snuff, you want to be able to go the distance. This doesn't mean you have to do crazy intervals or speed drills; just put in the time. You are also NOT required to do only freestyle in a race. Sure, that is the stroke of choice, but I have seen people breast stroke and back stroke it out. Hell, I even saw someone using a noodle to help her finish the swim, but I discourage that! I remember my first Olympic distance race when I swam my first mile in open water. I got in the water, I swam, and almost immediately started panicking. I swear, if there had been a kayak right there I would have quit. It was a point to point swim and seeing how far away that finish point was set me into a panic, "Holy crap! That is really far, I am never going to be able to do that!" (of course I could, I did it in practice many times, but seeing the distance was scary, otherwise it is just a number). What was actually going through my head was, "What am I doing here? How do I get out? I am in the Hudson River, no one swims in the Hudson River! I am insane, why did I think I could do this?" Because I could and I did. So I rolled over on my back, talked myself off the ledge, calmed down and then rolled back over and finished that swim. It was scary as hell, but I did it. You can do it too.

Question:

How do the transitions work? Do you put your bike/running stuff there in the beginning, then switch that with the swimming stuff? Do you lock up your stuff or is it just safe sitting there?

How much time before the race should I get there to set up?

Good questions! Most races have one transition area where you rack your bike and set up your stuff and yes, you put everything there before the race begins. The area is closed off and there are people at the entrances checking that only the athletes are going in and out, so your stuff is secure and there is no need to lock anything up (obviously, you don't want to bring the crown jewels with you, but you are all in the same boat, so I wouldn't worry). I would allow plenty of time in the morning to get there and set up. You don't know how crowded the race will be, if you're driving you could be waiting in a long line of cars to park? How far will you have to walk from parking to the site? You don't want to feel rushed. For example, if my wave start is at 7AM, I will leave by 5 AM. I usually like to get there shortly after transition opens and that info will be provided by your race director or race website.

Now, setting up your transition area. Here is a picture of my first ever race transition.

What is good about this transition is my position at the end of the rack = more room for your stuff! Some spots are predesignated, some are first come, first serve. Lay out a towel (I now use a brightly colored one to spot my area, because the bright yellow of my bike just isn't enough, ha!), then put my helmet on my bars (or on my shoes) with sunglasses in the helmet, bike shoes (or sneakers if you are using that for both bike and run) and race number. then behind that I put my running shoes and visor (I keep my sunglasses and race number on when going from bike to run). I leave a bit of towel to stand on to wipe my feet and have a dedicated water bottle handy for rinsing my feet they are very sandy.

Note: MAKE NOTE OF WHERE YOUR BIKE IS SO YOU ARE NOT RUNNING AROUND LOOKING FOR IT!!! OK, I'm done yelling now....moving on. You will take your swim stuff with you when you go to the swim start. You will dump your swim stuff when you get back to transition and pick up your bike stuff (have water and a gel on your bike, depending on bike distance), return from bike, dump bike stuff and pick up run stuff. Be somewhat neat and considerate of the folks around you. Everyone has their own set of minor details when they set up their transition area. Over time, you will discover what works best for you. My coach always encourages me to practice transitions before race day; good advice!!

Question:

How many hours per week should I spend on each sport? I’m by far the weakest at swimming so assuming I should spend a lot of time focused on that.

This depends a lot on how long your race is. Is it a Sprint, Olympic, International, Half Iron, Ironman? In this case, I know my friend is doing a sprint distance: Swim 1/3 mile, bike 12 miles, run 4 miles (this can vary from race to race). I would tell her to spend a bit more time working on her swim since that is her weakest event; three times a week, 30-45 minutes a day for that distance and to feel comfortable. I would also recommend at least once, try to get in an open water swim; lake, beach whatever. As for bike and run, without specifics, I would bike twice a week and run twice a week working towards the distance of each event for the race. This all depends on what your goal is: do really well, or just have fun and finish it.

Question:

Is a tri-suit necessary? If not, what’s good to put on after the swim? I'm debating getting one.

A tri-suit is NOT necessary, understanding that a tri-suit is a one piece racing item that is well, unforgiving: I give you exhibit 'A'. This was two years ago, I am slimmer now and it has not seen the light of day again, but I digress. So check your comfort level with relationship to Lycra and swimsuits. I have seen people at this distance do the whole race in a one piece speedo type swimsuit, a two piece sports type swimsuit, tri shorts and a sport bra, tri shorts and a tri top or the tri-suit. Any of these will work fine, you just have to decide what is comfortable for you. You might even try what you want to wear at the pool if it is something other than what you normally wear to swim.

The wetsuit; to wear or not to wear, that is the question. And it depends on a lot of things. What part of the country is your race in, what time of year, what is the water temp? sleeves or no sleeves? Do you want to spend the money since they can be pricey? My friend's race is in August and I would tell her not to bother with the wetsuit. The water will be plenty warm enough, but be sure that you use one of the suit choices above, as you don't want to have a loose fitting garment slowing you down.

The Big Picture:

This is your first race. Don't take yourself too seriously. Things may go wrong, if it's out of your control, just roll with it. Make the best of a bad situation. We are not pros at this and we don't get paid to compete. Don't compare yourself with others, just do the best you can do. This is a hobby and we need to keep that in perspective, so have fun! As my coach always tell me, "....and don't forget to smile and thank the volunteers!" This goes a long way towards keeping your mindset positive, this I can tell you through experience. Some of my best memories are of races where the plan didn't come together, but I smiled anyway, made sure I thanked the volunteers for coming out and high fived the kids cheering me on. There is no race without the volunteers and the spectators are more valuable than you think when you feel like you can't go on. And if you can, volunteer yourself at a race; it's a great way to give back to the sport and it is really great fun!

Foto Friday: My Finds and Others

2011-07-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

School is out! Summer camp is days away (too many days away...). My little man is growing up *sniff*. He 'graduated' from Pre-K, sigh.....Where does the time go? He is off to the big time next year; the big K ( and I don't mean K Mart, although he could start chipping in already!)

Well, another installment of Foto Friday. Here we go.

Hilarious if you are a soccer fan!

My son has dimples (don't know where from), and people actually get plastic surgery to have them (google it). This though, is too funny.

Gives you a good idea of what I look like in the morning.

I don't have a yard, but if I did.......

Happy Hot Dog Man. For real, check it out!

Life imitating art!

See, NYC isn't all bad. They filmed the last scene from You've Got Mail (the kiss) in front of this garden that I run by every day.

On the subway platform on my way to see a client....All painted in gold..and asleep.

I'm sorry if I have posted this, but my it is too funny.

I saw this on the road back from REV3, I thought is was a typo. It was not. It exists. Who knew?

In a store window. Reminds me of WHAM! If you were born later than 1972, you have no idea what I am talking about.

Even the hand purifier dispenser can't find a job.

HA!! Ya think?

I'm sory you can't spell.

It's kind of hard to tell, but this lady looked like she had been attacked by a Bedazzler, again, born after 1972....?????

"Bibs aren't just for babies." Unless you are eating lobster, I say yes, bibs are just for babies. I love that the soccer mom is the one who needs to where the bib and not the kids in the back seat.

Foto Friday: My 1st Triathlon Experience

2011-06-24T10:18:00.000-04:00

Not mine really , but Lawrence's. Who is Lawrence? I have no idea, but he has an awesome attitude for someone who is in dead last. His friends are hilarious routing him on, as is he. There are some great lines in here.

"I can't feel my quads"
"Come on Grape Juice!"
"You'll make it up on the bike!"
"I'm something like Lance Armstrong, not really like him, but something like Lance Armstrong."
"I gotta take Jesus with me, alway time for Jesus."
"Come on Lawrence, we're running out of battery here."

Thanks to my friend Edwin for this. It makes me laugh every time. I wish I knew Lawrence, he seems like an awesome guy!

Quick And Dirty

2011-06-20T16:44:00.000-04:00

The highlight of my weekend was my husband and I teaching our son to ride a two wheeler! Awesome! Now that I have the important stuff out of the way.....

I'm done with swim and bike for the summer. I know, right? That is sacrilege this time of year. Seeing as how I dropped IMRI in July and my planned trip to Spain fell through, that leaves me with.....well.....nothing. No worries. As you may or may not remember, I won the lottery; the NYC Marathon lottery. Yes, I was in it to win it and I did. I got me a spot. That is the equivalent of going to bed looking like something on the cover of Field and Stream and waking up as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model; It just doesn't happen. Except it happened to me (not the swimsuit cover model thing....in case you were confused).

That being said, I started marathon training this past week. Have I mentioned that I have never run a marathon? The longest I have ever run is 13.1 miles. Actually 13.25, but who's counting. I'm thrilled to to have my first one be in my hometown. Coach gave me a choice about how I wanted to train moving forward. I could focus solely on running; this would mean losing my swim and bike fitness and would probably take 4-6 weeks to get back up to speed, but would yield my best results. On the other hand, I could still do some swim and bike to maintain a base level of fitness. I went with just run for a few reasons: I want to simplify my life for the moment (for a number of reasons) and focusing on one sport does that for me. I also pretty much still suck at running and focusing on something that I suck at could be a good thing for me. No guarantees, but I'm willing to take the gamble. Needless to say, my last bike and swim after REV3 was bittersweet. Especially the bike. I worked my ass off on the bike leading up to REV3 and to just throw that fitness to the curb was hard, but it doesn't mean I can't get it back.

Yeah, so running.....Right away I noticed that my ITB was bothering me on my long runs. Always at that one hour mark. I had tried some barefoot running back in March (after reading it had helped some people with ITB issues) and effed up my calf. So have been off of it since. However, when I felt that ITB pain kick in on a run I decided to try something. For the last 5 minutes of my run I took my shoes and socks off and ran barefoot. I'll be damned, if my pain didn't go away immediately. Coach and I decided that I should add this in on all my runs, but very cautiously. I am still doing my eccentric calf dips, calf raises (toes in and toes out), eccentric Achilles dips, etc. I'm up to 8 minutes barefoot. Not a lot, but it seems to be helping. Time will tell. Slow and steady wins the race.

Foto Friday: My Thieving Magpie

2011-06-17T11:46:00.001-04:00

My son has a heading down a slippery slope. I'll either see him in a future episode of Hoarding: Buried Alive or assisting him in seeking professional help for kleptomania. He is headed for the big leagues next year; the big K. This school year is rapidly coming to a close so I recently decided to empty out his backpack. This is what I found.

He calls it his "collection". I call him my Magpie because he is always picking things up he sees on the ground or elsewhere and wanting to bring these objects home. He just can't resist a shiny object. I think Rossini wrote an opera about him......

Magpies have a bad reputation, but they've no one to blame, but themselves. Take for instance this woman who found an engagement ring that a magpie stole and hid away in his nest for 3 years!!!

And cyclists beware! Your helmet is a 'shiny object' no matter it's size or that it is attached to your head!

Have no fear. These guys have found the solution; no helmet. ha!

Foto Friday: The Times They Are A Changin'

2011-06-10T13:55:00.000-04:00

Thank for these, Mom....

I guess adding that 1/2 makes all the difference

Um, I think my guy is the last reason I'm taking this for.

Speechless

I actually think this business exists.

Think again....

For kids!

How about a big 'X' through every one of them...or I will cry.

Ok, is this a double entendre?

Add caption

It works for me right around 5 o'clock.

This makes me want to kill someone.

Then I must look like shit.

If it were only that easy.

I'd like to use this on some of those ad execs....I better take a Midol.

Ironman NYC (ok, NJ too....mostly NJ)

2011-06-07T13:59:00.002-04:00

For real......I received this email today (click on the image to go to the web page). The swim is on the Jersey side of the Hudson (I pass on many of my rides). The Bike is on the Palisades Prkwy. Nice, but will piss a lot of folks off when they close it. The run is on River Road (very pretty, hilly...think Alpine Approach, it is where I do my hill repeats) and across the George Washington Bridge into Riverside Park and the finish line is a few blocks from my home! No, I have no plans on doing it. But maybe you do?

Race Report: REV3 Quassy Olympic

2011-06-06T00:54:00.003-04:00

First things first. I wouldn't have a race report to, well, report if it wasn't for a couple of things. First, a huge thank you to SPIbelt who kindly sponsored me for this race. They have been extremely gracious and helpful in getting me to the starting line. Secondly, I owe a debt of gratitude to Big Daddy Diesel and Jason @ CookTrainEatRace. The master minds behind The Angels and Ninjas who arranged this very first racing scholarship with SPIbelt. Good people doing good works; I am honored.

I stopped writing my race reports by the numbers last year. Mostly for my own peace of mind; I was getting too caught up in the numbers and beating myself up for not meeting unreasonable expectations I held for myself. Comparisons I was making to others was sucking the joy right our of this sport for me and long before I even had an opportunity to get to know it well. This time around it has kind of been decided for me; my results were lost. Ah, the irony of it all. I emailed REV3 and they apologized and claimed to have a 'man on it'. So, I'll wait and see. In the meanwhile, I had a great race!! What does that mean? I had a great time! Ok, except maybe on the run, that kind of sucked. It was an amazing two days and some weird, crazy stuff! Are you hooked? Let's go.

I broke the cardinal rule of racing.....twice, "Nothing new on race day". I admit it. I "slowly caved like a flan in a cupboard" (~Eddie Izzard) under the tyranny of that century ride for my A group. I went out and got a compact crank and it was installed on Thursday evening. When I picked up the bike I asked the mechanic if he shortened my chain (I mean, duh, right?). Nope. Can you imagine? Do I need to say more? Smaller crank = shorter chain. Hello? Anyhoo.... I rode my bike Friday morning at 5 AM for 20 minutes. No problems, no issues, done.

I usually drink Amino Vital in my water bottle. I ran out and couldn't find any locally. I bought a package of HEED. I have never used this. It was super yucky, but I used it anyway, betting on my iron stomach. No problems, no issues, done.

I am happy to report that both things worked without a hitch! Phew!

Ok, I promise I won't bore you with pre race day stuff. However, this is too good and too weird not to tell. I dropped my bike off at the on site mechanics after picking up my race packet. I had noticed on the 5 AM jaunt that my front dérailleur was rubbing a bit, but the mechanics at REV3 hooked me up. As I was walking over to pick up my bike I saw this guy sitting near the bike tent and recognized him from my A-19 SIG (bike group). Edwin, like me, literally signed up for the race days prior. How funny to see him there! We bitched and moaned some more about the century ride from hell, exchanged war stories and he introduced me to two other women who did the the other B & C SIGs. Very cool! We wished each other good luck and went our separate ways.

I left my bike since the athlete orientation was beginning; they mentioned 800 participants, cool. Then went over to pick up my bike and drop it off in transition. Couldn't find my race number on the racks. They finally pulled it out of a bin and walked me to a rack that was partially full. Suddenly I hear someone say, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" I look up and there is Edwin. We were racked RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER! How funny is that?! 800 people! The race was looking up. We joked for a few and then said we'd see each other the next day. Funny shit.

Me, Edwin & Julie at the finish.

Next morning I got up and it was 46˚F. Why did I bring my sleeveless wetsuit?! Why didn't I pack my long sleeve one too? Damn! It was freezing. I got to transition, got set up, exchanged pleasantries with Edwin and fellow "rackees", got my wetsuit on and headed to the water.

Swim:

hmmmm...if I go in, then I will be wet and then I'll be cold waiting for my wave which is second to last....what to do? Suck it up buttercup and get in the water!

Air: Cold. Sand: Freezing cold. Water: Balmy (comaritively) 68˚F. It was warmer standing in the water than on the sand. My wave was second to last. All the old ladies (meaning me), Athenas, Clydesdales, relays, etc.. I forgot how much I love me a lake swim. Not since Mooseman last year had I swum in a lake. Quassy = Second favorite swim ever!!! How did I do? I have no idea since I don't have any results. However, I had no problem sighting, it was a clockwise swim, my favorite. Oh!! Cardinal rule broken again.

Nice pink goggles, no? As you can see I am wearing the timing chip, so not sure why my results were lost.

Goggles I won from my coaches blog last year that I have never worn before, but I knew that new goggles don't fog. Since I had some fogging issues last weekend I figured I'd give them a go. Watch out Sarah Palin, I'm going rogue! Oh, one exception to the sighting thing. I did run into a dock at the end. I swear, as God as my witness, I was headed straight for the finish arch and all of a sudden a few feet from the shore there was this dock! Some other dude also ran into it so I didn't feel so bad.

T1:

Not much to say here. I usually swim with my tri top on, but I was wearing a Tech T from SPIbelt for the race that I think, may not have been water friendly. It didn't take much time to get that on, sunglasses, helmet. Damn! Why, why can't I remember my cleat covers even when I practice transition at home? Fortunately I didn't run away with them on, but remembered just before putting them on.

Bike:

I got on my bike shifted and *clunk*kerplunk*! Seriously?! I'm screwed. I thought for sure that was it. I tempted the tri gods with the new crank and they were not happy. Fortunately, it was just a hiccup and I got it together and was off. I am a lame ass swimmer. I am pretty good on bike, not great, but pretty good. I started picking people off. This would go on the entire race. I passed a ton of women and did not get passed by one. I passed a fair few guys too. This course has become legend in the short two years it has been run. It is hilly and hard (even the Oly). Even the dude at the orientation was scaring the bejesus out of me. Seriously? Not that bad. Ok. I have been riding the hills from hell for 12 weeks and that has a lot to do with it. I also had that new compact crank (why oh why did someone not convince me sooner? I blame you all!). I felt really, really good. Maybe that was the problem. Even though my coach told me to go harder than I thought I could or should since I had that good bike base, and I was thinking that on the bike and thought I was doing it.....Honestly? Maybe I could have gone a little harder? I know hindsight is 20/20, but I think I had the hilly run nagging me in the back of my mind.

I took full advantage of the downhills though. Hell, that is free speed right there, I went whole hog. I maxed out at 45.1 MPH! Booyah! The ride course was beautiful, seriously beautiful. The volunteers where great and the cops at the intersections (of which there were many) were great (I think I thanked every one). I'm guessing if I don't think it was that bad a course, I should have gone harder.

Can you say "super dork". You'd think this was my first tri or something. I don't know what I was thinking.

T2:

I rolled into T2 and saw Edwin chugging something and looking relaxed. I was like. "You are NOT finished!" He laughed. I won't tell tales out of school, but I was glad he was not finished, cuz then I would feel pretty lame!!

Run:

I got my run stuff on including my lovely skull SPIbelt/racebelt with my GU in it, which worked out awesomely, headed out the shoot (the wrong direction. Thank you Edwin for kindly pointing to the run out) and straight for the porta jons. I had to go so bad! Ahhhhhhhhhh. I knew there were none on the course. It was a very wise decision.

The run was cool for the first two miles as it is mostly down hill and then you get to the first uphill. killer. More downhill...level off....more uphill...finally shook the lady I was jockeying with. Then a nice long downhill. I tried to take advantage of this cuz I knew the end had one last uphill just to mess with us (sounds like my century. I know, I need to let that go) and sure enough it was there.

I don't mind saying, the run was hard for me. I am a lousy runner. My running has also been very inconsistent this year with my husband traveling so much for work this year. Needless to say, I wasn't surprised at how hard it was for me. The thing that got me through the run was thinking about how my coach always tells me to smile and thank the volunteers, it goes a long way towards a positive mental outlook on your hurting body. True that.

Aid Station note to REV3...I'm pretty sure the Coke is supposed to be flat and NOT carbonated. I'm just saying.

Finish:

Thank you SPIbelt!

Happy to finish. Always happy to finish and the crowds were great! I waited for Edwin to cross the line, yeah! And then headed towards the food pavilion. Suddenly I hear someone say my name. Mandy @ Caratunk Girl! I was so stoked to see her. We planned to meet after the finish, but she recognized me before I had the chance to text her. She is very cool people. We talked for quite a while. I was sorry we couldn't spend more time together and it was impossible to stay since the hotel was sold out for that night.

Me & Mandy (the coolest chic at the REV3 half)

Post race thoughts....

REV3 runs a great race even if they did lose my results. Whoever does their graphics is a design genius (leave it to a designer to appreciate the logos and cool graphics). It was well organized and the transition racks were the best! Way better than racking on the seat. Even when there was a hiccup, they got it taken care of. When I emailed them this morning about my missing results (and the half was going on), someone got back to me....while she was sitting in the time trailer...at the race.

This is my only tri this year. My training has been off this year as well; lots of hubby traveling, no babysitter, lots of outside forces for good and bad making it a bit emotional and other commitments that had to take priority over training. So, I was less than confident going into this race and only felt strongly about the bike. Still though, I had a great day and am super happy that I had the opportunity to do it. That, again, with thanks to SPIbelt, BDD and Jason, you guys are the shiznit (my husband assures me this is a good thing)! Speaking of which, a HUGE thanks to my husband who is always my willing (ok, maybe not willing) sherpa and photographer. I am a lucky woman!

Sunday was spent looking at pretty bikes in the Berkshires. I lifted an ORBEA with my index finger, it was so light....(hmmmm....it is my birthday on Tuesday....ha!).

Race Report: Great Hudson River Swim

2011-06-01T10:14:00.000-04:00

Great Hudson River Swim

1.6 Miles

What an amazing weekend I have had. Nothing special really, just chillaxing with the family and friends; good stuff. I also had my swim race this weekend. Another lovely swim in the scenic Hudson River.

I did this race last year and they had it measured at 1.2 miles. This year it was 1.6 miles and yet the course was the same. What up NYC SWIM peeps? As it turns out, they had never properly measure the full length of the course, neglecting the swim from the pier out to the first turn buoy when we start to head south (the vertical length the red arrow is pointing to).

Last year the race started at 12:10 and this year it was at 8 AM. They time the race to occur during the transition from the flow to the ebb. The water was really calm and warm! 63˚F on race morning. I wore a full sleeve wetsuit and I probably could have gone with a sleeveless. Of course the really hard core swimmers went sans wetsuit. In reality, it probably wouldn't have been that bad to go without. Me? I can use all the buoyancy I can get. Oh! And I saw no bodies and no river monsters!

We walk out on this 'gangway' to jump from the dock.

Nervously waiting. I am NOT a morning person.

Last year there were 208 swimmers of which 198 finished. This year they had 447 enrolled, 376 who swam and 373 who finished, not bad. Much bigger numbers. Last year we headed into alphabetically, this year by time. Slowpokes first, moving on up to the fastest peeps. I was in the 4th wave; I am on the slower side of average, despite tons of time in the pool. I need help with my technique, but that is another issue altogether. In any case, I still like to swim despite my lack of finesse.

The water felt really great when I jumped in, right after the initial cold shock. Then we floated around waiting for everyone in the wave to be in the water. I was in the front line of my wave and then the countdown, I hit the timer on my watch and we were off.

I always hate the start because it is all arms and legs, HR through the roof and my technique sucks ass until I get moving. After I made the very congested first turn to start heading south the group thinned out. I started relaxing and thinking about what my coach calls EVF (early vertical forearm) and keeping my stroke long and strong. I also counted and sighted on every count of 5 or 6. One of my lenses was fogged up which made sighting the yellow buoys a bit difficult. I kept the other swimmers in sight until I saw the next yellow buoy to focus on.

Mostly it was an uneventful swim. There is one spot where it gets a little choppy and suddenly you are on a roller coaster, but I just kept moving through. I looked up shortly after this and saw an orange turn buoy. What?! I can't be done, that was too fast! Last year it felt like forever. Sure enough it was the turn in to the finish.

I don't know about you, but I get all excited when I know the end is in sight. My HR goes up, my form gets sloppy, all I can think about is finishing. I had to reign it in and force myself to keep calm and just keep control. When I reached the ladder out of the water I stopped my watch 41:30. Wow! That is a ton faster than last year! Sixteen minutes faster! Ok, let's not get too excited yet. I still had to see the official results and I would have to see the times overall from last year's race. If I have learned anything by this point in time, is that all races are not considered equal, even when they are the same race and even more so when currents are involved.

When I exited the water I heard a woman's voice calling my name. Who the heck is that? I expected to hear my husband or son. It was my friend Shery who was visiting for the weekend from Scotland. yeah!! What a nice surprise!

My official time was 42:57. I had to cross the timing matt on the platform and it was congested so I am sure I lost time there, but still. Overall, every one was faster than last year. I checked the time of a friend of mine who came in third last year. His time was 7 minutes faster this year and he was 10th. All things being equal and using my official time, I was still 14 minutes faster. I'll take it.

The long and short of it is, I felt totally comfortable in the water and I felt like I was able to focus on my technique (as mediocre as it is). Next weekend will be interesting as I will be swimming in a lake, so no current. I don't expect too much, but I am hoping to surprise myself.

So....this weekend, Rev3 Olympic at Quassy. One highpoint of the race? Getting to meet Mandy @ Caratunk Girl!!! I am so stoked to meet her. Happy racing this weekend!

Foto Friday: Goodies! (...and other scary things)

2011-05-27T11:06:00.001-04:00

The good people at SPIbelt sent me a nice little package which arrived yesterday. I had my choice of SPIbelt and tech shirt to choose from (very generous of them!). I decided to go with the skulls on the SPIbelt; I figured if they are nice enough to sponsor me, people should be able to see it, right? Not to mention it just looks freakin' cool.

I also had the chance to test it out today on my run. I stuffed it with my cell phone, cash, my keys, metrocard and credit card. I walked my son to school and didn't even notice it. After I dropped him off I went immediately for my run. I did have to snug it up a bit, but once I found the 'sweet spot' it was good to go. I didn't even notice it while running. You can even add toggles to the belt for your race number. This is definitely my new go-to storage belt.

I also dug a bit deeper into their site last night. I discovered that many people are using these for holding their insulin pumps. They even make them for kids!! The fact that they have some cool designs and you can order custom designed ones as well, raises the coolness quotient in my opinion. Hmmmmm.....being a designer myself I foresee a custom SPIbelt in my future....ha!!

I also received this cool shirt (yes, that is a dump truck in the background). They were out of the pink, so I went with the green. It kind of works out anyway as it will match the laces on my new Brooks Launch I bought a month ago. See?

These are my third pair of Brooks Launch (thank you Brooks Inspire!!!). I decided to go with the new blue color. I also like me some speed laces and had a bright pink and green pair hanging around. I laced up each shoe with a different color and asked my son which he like better. He chose the green. Today after my run a woman stopped me to tell me how much she liked my new kicks; good choice kid!

Seeing as how tomorrow is my Great Hudson River Swim, my husband decided to regale me with recent news stories about how springtime is the harbinger of floating corpses in the NYC area. Nice.

I suppose it also didn't help that they found a 'monster' washed up under the Brooklyn Bridge last week.

{source}

Also back in 2008 not far from my house and from said Hudson River.

{source}

Don't panic people, it's only an Atlantic Sturgeon. Previously known as Albany Beef (very abundant in the 19th century). Yes, you can eat them, although I wouldn't advise eating one from the Hudson. There is even a shop called Murrays Sturgeon Shop two blocks from my house and a Barney Greengrass: The Sturgeon King, three blocks in the other direction. Apparently they are endangered now. Let's take a look at one that isn't so...well.....so decomposed.

He's a big sucker. I'm really hoping I don't see one tomorrow dead or alive. {source}

On the brighter side, this was the Hudson on my run this morning; smooth as glass. I hope it is the same tomorrow. Water temps are low 60s, current slightly against to start (timed for the change of the ebb and flow) and sunny, sunny, sunny! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!

Angels (and Ninjas) In The Wings

2011-05-25T13:06:00.001-04:00

Last month I wrote a post about my upcoming race season, which amounted to no race season. I've had a tough year financially with a lot of other things that have had to take a front seat to racing. I won't go into detail here about all that, but I was confident I was making the right choice and I was really ok with that.

The following day I get a very enigmatic comment from BDD (aka Big Daddy Diesel),

"We understand how life throws a curve ball, good thing is that races will be around forever and when the time is right, you will be right back on the course

and there are Ninjas, whats that you ask? Stay tune and hopefully something good will come of it"

I emailed him, told him he was making me nervous and asked if I should be looking over my shoulder? I did warn him that I am a black belt so forewarned is forearmed (all in good fun!). I really had no idea what he was alluding to and so went about my business. A few days later I get an email from BDD letting me know that there have been forces at work behind the scenes making it possible for me to do my previously planned REV3 Olympic race at Quassy and that I should contact Jason @ CookTrainEatRace. I did so and Jason informed that through the very generous sponsorship of Kim Overton (founder) and Debbie at SPIbelt, I would be able to participate in the race on June 4th!

Seriously hunky guy wearing a a SPIblet (how could I resist!)

Speechless....

Even at this moment I still have trouble finding the words to convey my gratitude for such a lovely act of kindness. Apparently there is a network of triathletes known as Team Angels & Ninjas (TAN) who work covertly behind the scenes to assist triathletes in many ways. I am honored to report that I am their fist scholarship recipient! Seriously? How amazing is it that people I have never met other than through blogging, would go out of their way to make this happen? I say, very amazing!

Debbie at SPIbelt called me and got me all registered. Along with that they are sending me a SPIbelt tech shirt and a SPIbelt to wear during the race! It just keeps getting better and better. I'll definitely post pics of those items when I receive them.

This act of kindness really got me to thinking how unique these online relationships are. It was through my blog I found my coach, met people in my area with the same interests, supported and found support from others. This, for me, is the ultimate kindness. I am keeping my eyes open for a way to pay this forward.

I would encourage you to show SPIbelt, BDD and Jason some love (click on the SPIbelt logo in my sidebar to get to their site). They are the true rock stars in this fairly tale come true.

Sidebar....I have my Hudson River Swim on Saturday (I signed up for this waaaaaaaay back in December), 1.6 miles of the majestic *cough*sputter* Hudson River.

Part II: The Devil Is In The Details

musings from my century ride last weekend

*104.42 miles completed.

*End point in Cold Spring, NY where I was married 10 years ago.

*This was the highlight of my ride at the top of Bear Mountain.

her name is Freedom, yes, really.

*Dried apricots and salted cashews are the bomb!

*Dr. Pepper can be chugged.

*Ice cream sandwiches never tasted so good as on this ride.

*PB&J will keep in your jersey pocket for hours!

*I love NYC because there are no swarming, flying, annoying bugs (yes, we do have cockroaches though).

*Beer is awesome (at the END of the ride).

*Nothing restores the soul like a cool rain on a sweaty, gritty, salty body (Dr. Pepper helps too).

*I almost cried twice on this ride (but managed to keep it together).

*Cursed more times in the last 30 miles than in the last year.

*Questioned my own sanity for putting myself through this on numerous occasions during this 'jaunt'.

*Finally realizing the virtue and the good fortune of having a body that functions and does what I ask it to do. That heals the mind and soul better than the rain and Dr. Pepper.

Graduation Ride: Or How I Decided I Need A Compact Crank

2011-05-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

I am a member of the NYCC. I joined last year and did one of their Special Interest Group (SIG) rides; the "B-18". From the website:

The B-18 pace − progresses from a 45-mile ride at 16mph on the first day, to a 100-mile ride (with full century option) at 18mph by early May.

I was planning on doing it again this year, but caught some heat from my past group members, accusing me of sandbagging. Message received, and so I joined the A-19 SIG. Same theory, but more challenging (way more challenging, as it turned out) for 12 weeks. Apparently they upped the challenge quotient this year, which is cool. I managed to stick it out. However, yesterday's ride, I feel, went beyond challenging....Call me a whiner, but I don't know, I felt it bordered on cruel (I wasn't the only one who thought so, including some of the ride leaders). While this is not an excuse I will say that I was riding on a full crank. Most everyone else was in a compact or had a granny ring. I wish I did too; I suffered. It made the climbs so much tougher. I know, "Just think how much tougher you are for doing it in a full!" Whatever. It hurt, and I so badly wished I had a compact when everyone was soft-peddling up the hill and I was mashing. My knees are shot.

The "Graduation Ride" was 103 miles with three big climbs in it (not to mention the other various hills at the end strategically placed for the ultimate mind f*ck).

Ok, let's get the show on the road. We left the city at 7 AM and headed north towards Harriman State Park and Bear Mountain. I won't go into detail since that would be pretty boring, "it was all uphill, it was challenging, I made it to the top, blah, blah, blah". You've done it, you know. One fun thing was riding straight into a triathlon while the bike portion was going on at Lake Welch. While we were on the outside of the cones (and thus off the course) having the cop on the bullhorn trying to direct us back onto the course because he thought we were in the race was pretty funny.

The ride was BEAUTIFUL!!! I definitely did not rush up the hill (as if I could). After the second climb I wanted so badly to jump in here.

I was still feeling ok at this point. In fact, I felt good until I summited Perkins Memorial Dr.

Heading in and up, up, up....

Halfway there.....

At the top!

Click on this photo for a panoramic from the top.

My group

I made it.

Of course the ride down was great and there were some awesome downhills on this ride too. There should be with over 5,000 feet of climbing (the woman who did this route said her Garmin said 7400 ft.).

We headed over the Hudson River across the Bear Mountain Bridge and this is where is started to go downhill for me at mile 70. There was so much more climbing after this. I know on a century there is a point where you have to dig deep to get through and believe me I dug as deep as I could and it was hard, really *insert expletive here* hard. My legs were tired of mashing up the hills. It didn't help they were still fatigued from all the walking I did at the show earlier in the week for 4 days, my run on Thursday and swim on Friday and my knee was still bothering me.

When we turned into the last 14 miles we still had 8 miles of constant climbing and then the sky opened up and poured rain. It actually felt good. I was covered in salt, grit and sweat. It was refreshing, now if it only made my legs feel better. We finally reached the last 6 miles of downhill (my max on the downhills was 46 mph!) and headed into town and straight to beer and burgers. Food never tasted so good.


The bikes on the train ride home.

I am not sure how I feel about this ride. Am I proud of myself for completing it? Yeah, I guess so. However, I am not happy with the performance aspect of it. It was slow and painful for me on the hills despite all the hill climbing I have been doing. No doubt I was dropped again and again towards the end except for maybe two or three of us. It makes me wonder how I would have done if I had a compact crank, but I suppose it's a moot point, but I can't help myself.

There was plenty of very upset people including some of our leaders and of course, some folks who thought it was great. I'm not surprised at this, different strokes. I am not going to look back at this ride fondly at all and in some ways, it kind of ruined it for me, but that's my problem.

Foto Friday: Design overload

2011-05-20T07:00:00.003-04:00

Sunday was the first day of the National Stationery Show, Surtex (surface design) and ICFF (Int'l Contemporary Furniture Show). So what is this show? Well, if you buy anything with design on it: shower curtains, dinnerware, bedding, tissue holders, kitchen textiles, skins for your iphone, etc., or just about anything you see in the store with art or design on it, there is a good chance someone here designed it. I had some stationery designs in Crane & Co. and Ann Scott Design. I also took a workshop on Licensing artwork/design. It has been a long 4 days. On my feet everyday all day and my training took a hit; I am exhausted mentally and physically. I decided to share some pics from the show. I'm not really allowed to take photos of the stationery and design stuff (not Kosher, except for mine), but I do have some photos of some cool stuff from the furniture side.

Coffee table made from circuit boards

Yes, that is real money

...And yes, I asked....$787

Cute idea

lamp made from thin veneer

My friend's booth with some of my stuff in it.

Mine are the florals

I am negotiating some licensing on these...hopefully at online site near you!

Then they had some student work. They created fashion from paper goods. Yes, people, all these designs are made from paper only!!

Saturday? A century ride!!!! Don't let those exclamation points fool you, I'm not sure how excited I am about it. It is going to kill me, they have lots of climbs planned. Thank God we can take the train back to the city after lots of beer at the end (for the train too). I'm counting on it being canceled due to the Rapture and all.....Anyone for some post Rapture looting?

Surprise!

2011-05-11T15:59:00.000-04:00

The word 'surprise' has taken on new meaning for me this year; both good and bad. Let's look at the very basic definition of surprise:

1. an unexpected or astonishing event, fact, or thing
• a feeling of mild astonishment or shock caused by something unexpected
• [as adj. ] denoting something made, done, or happening unexpectedly

Yeah, I'm sort of over 'unexpected, astonishing & shock'. Truly overrated. However, as I stated, these surprises were both good and bad. I won't dwell on the bad, because I have been trying to remain positive in the face of unseemly surprises. This has not been an easy task and I have allowed myself a couple of 'down in the dumps' kind of days, but truth be told, in my heart of hearts, I have felt my life was moving in a positive direction despite the upsets.

Let's start with this:

Yeah baby, the NYC Marathon!!! I got in! In truth, I didn't really expect to since there are so many applicants, but hey, I'll take it! The best part is a very good friend of mine got in as well so I'll have someone to run with; what is more fun than that?

In news not directly related to me, my son got his scores back for the stupidest test known to man. I mean, tell me people, do they test 4 year olds for entry into kindergarten to see if they qualify as 'gifted & talented" where you live? I'm guessing, "no". Well, they do here and while I can forgo the test, it doesn't leave very many good options in the public school arena (which is why we accepted a private school spot). I'm happy to report that he scored a 99. This is fabulous in terms of very good public schools he can qualify for in an accelerated (or 'gifted') program. However, I can't help but wonder if it merely means my kid has a long attention span (which he does). Ok, I'll give you he may be kind of bright (or at least I have been told), but gifted? My husband and I are no slouches, but I wouldn't say we had an above average gene pool to offer our son in the baby making department. In any case, I am proud of him, super proud. This now means that I have to wait through another month of lottery drawings to see if he gets a spot....too many kids for too few seats. I'll wait. Where am I going anyway?

I may have two other happy news events to report, but I have to keep them under my hat for the moment in case they turn out to be non-events.

On the training front I am training for an IM. Ok, not really, but my weekend rides feel like it. Last week I did 82 miles with three very big climbs including this one..

Can you say 'full crank'? Yes, people, I do not have a compact and my legs felt like dog meat after this ride. The other two hills were equally challenging in different ways. Especially the third one.....at the end....at mile 60....not funny......The rest of the ride had some challenging rollers and was not easy trying to keep an average pace of 19 mph. Help me! I have two more weeks to go with my season ender, a 100 miler with three more of the largest climbs in our area. They are making us earn our stripes this year.

Needless to say, Sunday's long run felt like hell. I hurt. My husband couldn't understand why, oh why would I go out and do a long run after that ride? Honey, I don't know myself......insanity is all I can come up with.

I have a very busy week coming up. Some of my invitations are going to be in the National Stationery Show and I'm taking some workshops on licensing. It's where the money is....or so I hear.

Lastly, I have a cold that seems to have a half life of 1,000 years. I've had it for 18 days. Every morning a sore throat, lots of throat phlegm, whiskey voice (straining to talk), coughing and some bloody nasal discharge. My nose, otherwise is clear and no sneezing. Can this still be allergies? It is driving me batty at this point. I just want it to go away before I have my swim in the Hudson in two weeks. Time to hit the God box.

For Your Mother's Day Amusement...Macarons.

2011-05-08T07:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!! A British friend of mine encouraged me to try the macrons that came in the 'lovely' commemorative mug that my husband got while covering the Royal Wedding (caps? I don't know..). I thought I would share just for the hell of it. There is some digital breakup in the first 8 seconds, but that should be it.

Foto Friday: More F.U. Autocorrect...Because I Can

2011-05-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

I promise to have a post, a non Foto Friday post soon. There is a lot going on at the moment that is taking up my every waking moment, or so it seems. I promise to divulge all! Ok, maybe not all, but will get you up to speed. Hello....? Are you still there....?

Foto Friday: Bike Lock Fail

2011-04-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

WHAT THE...? Couldn't resist this one. The thought of anyone ripping (ha!) this guy off is too gruesome to imagine.

CLASSIC!

Easter In Pictures

2011-04-26T21:04:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a happy Passover and/or Easter!

OK, NOT Easter, but one of my dinnerware designs made it to the front window display for the NY Tabletop show a couple of weeks ago. Will post more dinnerware stuff another day. NO JOKES ABOUT THE MONKEY!

Foto Friday: More Irony......

2011-04-22T07:00:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my mom for sending these to me.....she saved Foto Friday, I haven't had time for even a bathroom break.....here we go.....

What the Hell Am I Doing?

2011-04-19T17:28:00.000-04:00

I know how this works....I scratch your back and you scratch mine. Sadly, I haven't been able to do much scratching and the comments on my posts are waning. That's cool. I never started this blog to get tons of readers who leave comments (although I always welcome them and am grateful for them). It's one of the reasons I haven't done any giveaways and don't really have any sponsors, etc. I've had a couple of opportunities to race for a team (other than Team In Training), but I passed those up too. I do this because I love to write. As I've mentioned in the past, I don't consider myself a great writer, but I like to pretend that I am. So I go on doing all of this for my own benefit. If someone happens along and likes what I have to say or appreciates my style of saying it, even better.

However, that is not why I am posting today. I've had to make some tough decisions regarding my upcoming race season. Essentially, there is no race season. I've decided not do any races. Why? Money is the biggest factor. I've even decided to cancel my gym membership. After losing my contract gig that was my steady paycheck and my son getting into the school we had hoped (which means tuition), I just can't justify spending $250 on a race when my husband is shouldering most of the finances; it just doesn't sit right with me.

I am OK with this. I will still be training at a maintenance level and if I find myself in a position to do a race, I'll be in shape for it. (Not a 70.3, mind you, but at least and Oly or less). I do have one more swim race at the end of May that was already paid for and so will participate in that. I have mentioned in the past that I hate racing. I love training, but really hate racing. However, I have needed races to motivate me to train. At this stage of the game, I am so used to having training as a part of my life that i don't need that motivation any longer. I am happy with the quiet accomplishments that are not spelled out on the race course. Of course, the PRs and such are always welcome in my world, but it has been a long road getting to the point where gains are made quietly and winning is not about the numbers, but about the self satisfaction of putting in a hard effort that no one else gets to see, but me (and my coach, figuratively) and about maintaining a certain level of fitness that I have become accustomed to.

I am down, but I am not out.

Last weekend one of the women I ride with gave me props on my hill climbing capabilities; that I made it seem smooth and effortless while still getting to the top fast. That meant more to me than crossing the finish line with a PR. It's something I have been working on, so to know that the work is paying off is fulfilling.

Anyway, enough of this drivel....Here is a peak at what I've been working at..a small peak. I won't say what it is for, but hopefully it will do well.

Foto Friday: Totally Looks Like

2011-04-15T08:57:00.000-04:00

Credit where credit is due...I got these from a site called, no surprise, Totally Looks Like...

Race Report: Brooklyn Duathlon

2011-04-11T14:29:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Ana Maria from Running & Living, for the only sale for the RELIEF EFFORT IN JAPAN. THANK YOU!!!! I really appreciate your support!

Now, I am going to get down to business here before the Novocaine from my root canal wears off.

This weekend...Saturday I had a 70 mile ride out to Oyster Bay Long Island. Including the ride to and from the meeting point, add 6 more miles. Seventy-six miles. Of course they would find the hilliest route on a land mass that is normally flat as a pancake. God love 'em! I actually had a good ride. Nice double pace lining, single pace lining, pulling, etc. After lunch I started to get that side stitch pain again like the prior ride. I had deliberately eaten less at lunch hoping that would solve the problem. Luckily, it didn't progress too badly and eventually subsided. Catastrophe averted.

On Sunday morning I had my Brooklyn Duathlon. I am so good at scheduling these things so that I have fresh legs for a race! When my alarm went off at 5 AM I just wanted to chuck it out the window and stick my head under the covers. However, time to get up and see what I was made of. If my legs had an opinion on the matter they would say I was made of jelly. I quickly got dressed and headed out so as not to wake my kid and headed to the subway (it's like a race against the clock some mornings; aren't I a lovely mother?). Yeah....not going to ride my bike after 76 miles the day prior, in the dark, just before a race; not happening.

Once I got the the park I quickly set up, hit the portas, took care of my calf and warmed up with some easy jogging and some quick pick-ups to get my HR up. It was time to toe the line...or the back of someone else's shoe since I wasn't up front.

Run 1: 2.1 Miles, 17:25

The gun! And they're off! OH. MY. GOD. My legs are freakin' tired! And the internal conversation begins:

What the hell am I doing here?
Why? Why? Why?
I am so tired. I just want to be in bed right now.
I could just stop and go home.
Will my calf hold up?
I could DNF and just say my calf didn't hold up.
I am a terrible liar.
I am too honest.
I am so unhappy right now.
How long have we gone?
Is it one mile yet?
I don't know this park at all, where the hell am I?
Blah, blah, blah....

I was never so happy to finish a measly two miles in my life.

Bike: 10 Miles, 33:33

I should mention. aero bars are not allowed in my group rides. So Saturday night, when I realized I would need to put them on for the race....well, I didn't put them on. I just couldn't muster the energy to drag them out of the closet, take them down to the basement of my building to the bike room, and then put them on......for just 10 miles. I know, I'm weak and useless....

Transition isn't even worth mentioning. IN and OUT!

Straight away I could feel my hamstrings, and my ass was killing me! I just picked a gear that gave me some speed but was still a bit of easy going to warm my legs up. I don't mind telling you, the first (of 3) laps was painful. Literally, painful. I thought for sure my ass was going to cramp. What do you do for an ass cramp? I didn't notice any cute guys in transition to draft into the loathsome job of massaging my ass. Fortunately for me (and the nonexistent cute guys), the 'cramping sensation' started to subside into my second lap. By the third lap I was cruising, like 23 MPH (the course was relatively flat), but then it was over and I only averaged 17.5 MPH.

I remember seeing one woman go by me on her road bike during the first lap and she was flying! It was very impressive to watch.

Run 2: 2.1 Miles, 17:45

Oh shit. Again? I had taken a GU on the bike and hoped it would kick in. I felt as good as humanly possible transitioning into the second run. I just tried to focus on finding a rhythm and just moving my feet. I just had to keep telling myself it was only 2 miles and then I would be done. I could go home. I swear, I felt like I was running through molasses. I was surprised to find out later that my run splits were only 20 seconds apart. huh. ok, then!

In the end, 6th of 16 AG. I'll take it, since I expected much worse considering how trashed my legs were from the 76 miles the day prior.

On my way out of the park, I saw some of my Siggies (bike group) gathering for a skills and maintenance 'workshop'. I decided to stay for it. It was really worth it. I learned some new cool stuff. My favorite was how to bunny hop on my bike. I think that was everyone's favorite. Other really useful stuff as well though. All for free! I love my NYCC!!!!

This, That and the Other

2011-04-05T22:27:00.000-04:00

What's the story Mornin' Glory?

* So, I'm standing in my kitchen the other day and I can't, for the life of me, get the lid off of a jar of applesauce (hello middle age). Usually in a situation like this I slip on a rubber glove and that allows me to get a good hold on the lid, however, my rubber gloves have bike grease all over them; a woman's work is never done. What to do? I stood there for a few moments thinking about it and then, suddenly, like a bolt of lightening, it struck me; swim cap! I have a bag of them from various races so I dug one out and don't you know, my plan worked poyfectly! It now has a new home in my kitchen drawer.

* I ran for an hour on Sunday with no calf pain. I took a completely flat route. I think any hills would have done it in again...slow and steady...although the ART guy wants me to throw some hills in my next run....coach? Oh! He also gave me the name of a collegue that will have a tent at the Brooklyn Biathlon on Sunday (yes, yet another race with a big question mark over it) and told me to go see him after the race.

* Did I mention that on Sunday I have a Biathlon?: 2, 10, 2 (after my 70 mile ride on Saturday, oh yeah).

* Last Saturday I had the strangest thing happen to me on my ride. There were 65 miles on the schedule with PLENTY of hills. After our lunch I was leading up a hill and after pulling off I started getting a side stitch, like in running. So, like in running, I kept riding thinking it would go away. It didn't. In fact, it got worse. I started dropping back in the line until one of the ride leaders asked if I was ok. I was not. I had to stop; I couldn't breathe. My diaphragm was cramping/spasming (?) so badly I was finding it extremely difficult and painful to breathe. I felt it all the way up into my right shoulder as well. One of the ride leaders said it looked like I was having an asthma attack and lent me his inhaler, but it didn't help. I had to let the group go and one of the leaders rode back to the city on the train with me. Seriously, I have never experienced anything like this before, it was horrible. There was no way I could ride on and, in fact, I wasn't able to take a full breath for almost an hour. Aside from being embarrassed, I was bummed to have to stop since my legs felt good. By the time I got home I had done 50 miles.....sigh.

Of course I Googled 'diaphragm cramping' which revealved a wealth of theories on why this happens. The closest thing that fit was eating + exercise immediately afterward = bad juju for my diaphragm. The theory goes (or at least one of them) that during exercise blood that normally goes to the diaphragm is used elsewhere in the muscles currently being used (including my stomach digesting), the lack of blood to the diaphragm causes it to spasm, that spasm is the stitch, ta da! Just for the record, I ate a mozzarella, tomato sandwich on a baguette and have had this before during the mid ride break.

* Tomorrow....taxes. 'Nuff said.

* Today I found out I need a root canal......on Monday.....AWESOME!!!!! Remember that tooth I broke on a cherry pit back in June? Well I had it nicely restored, but then it started giving me some trouble: sensitivity to hot, cold and pressure. The nerve is dying. Poor little nerve. The very nerve of that nerve!(humor me, when will I ever get a chance to use that line again in my lifetime?) I was given a 'bite test' today and it nearly sent me through the roof. However, I got props for having such clean teeth; I love me some flossing.

* I know you are all so jealous of the life I have been leading lately. I am really taking it easy these days, living it up in the lap of luxury. My body is in peak form, my job is taking off and I just hired some hot dude to feed me grapes. Life is good.

Foto Friday: Part Deux

2011-04-01T13:54:00.001-04:00

I sent that last '80s rocker' photo to a friend and she countered with this....never a dull moment in NYC.

Foto Friday: On the Fly

2011-04-01T13:50:00.000-04:00

didnt this look go out with the 80s?

PORN!

2011-03-28T10:48:00.001-04:00

Ok, I knew that would get your attention. Sorry for the slight of hand, but I have two important things to say....

1) Thank you all for your very kind comments for my DNF this weekend. Your words really went a long way to making me feel a hell of a lot better. As Michelle said, the way to get out of the funk is to come up with a plan for healing and stick with it. I'm off for ART today and will be doing my eccentric calf dips religiously, not to mention still foam rolling, etc. for my ITB....you never know! The good news is my insurance covers the ART, phew!!!

2) I am reposting this as only two people saw it. I apologize for the redundancy, but I really need to get the word out. If you can't make a purchase, PLEASE provide a link in your blog to let people know they can help AND get a little sumthin' sumthin' for their dollars. Thanks again!!

When Katrina hit I made a donation to the Red Cross. When the Tsunami hit Sri Lanka I made a donation the Red Cross. When Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake, I made a donation to the Red Cross. When Chile had their earthquake, I again made a donation to the Red Cross. Japan recently experienced a huge earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami and the threat of radioactive contamination. I am broke. With the loss of my job and struggling to find new freelance work I felt paralyzed in any effort to lend a financial hand.

I have had a long time love affair with Japan. I studied Japanese martial arts for 7 years, read every Japanese author I could get my hands on, studied the language at NYU for a time and visited the country twice (ok, I also dated a Japanese guy for 4 years....I guess that sort of rounds things out). So, I have been wracking my brain about how to do my part to help and finally came up with an answer. However, it requires your help as well. I'm sure many of you have already done your part, but I know this relief effort is going to go on for some time to come.

I have designed a logo that marries triathlon, Japan and a willingness to help. I then opened a Cafe Press shop where one can buy that logo on T-shirts (men, women, kids and babies), water bottles, tote bags, etc. There is a base price for the items and any profit is my markup above that. I have made this $5.00. This $5.00 is 100% profit and every cent of it will go to the Red Cross. I will make nothing on this. You, however, will get a cool (cuz I think it looks pretty cool) T-shirt or whatever and know that you are helping out at the same time.

Here is the logo as you may not get the full appreciation of it on the store site (you can click to enlarge it).

Please click the link to visit my store or you can just click this logo image on my sidebar on the upper right of the blog. I am also relying on you to pass on this post or my blog so that more people can be reached to make a donation. I really appreciate your help in this effort.

Race Report: Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon DNF

2011-03-26T16:22:00.001-04:00

I hate typying those three letters: DNF. I'm not sure which is worse, DNF or DNS (last month's race). I'm going with DNF. I think it hurts more to show up for a race, toe the line and not get to finish it.

I got up Saturday morning at 6 AM to make the hour-long train ride to Tarrytown (the next town over). I claimed my number and chatted with a couple of nice folks. This was a small race which was fantastic compared to the thousands that show up for the races I usually compete in in the city. I was very excited about doing this race, although, admittedly, I was treating it as a sort of training run because of my recent calf injury. So I felt pretty relaxed going into this; no butterflies.

The week leading up to race day I rested my calf, as in no running, and had ART on it on Thursday. It felt good on Friday, but I kind of knew in the back of my mind that that amounted to a hill of beans. Last Sunday I had no pain, in fact, I didnt even know my calf was jacked up until I started running and was halted 10 minutes in because the pain was so bad.

Back to race day. Michelle gave me a plan to ready my calf for the miles ahead: some eccentric calf raises (or dips, as it were), massage some bio freeze in, cover with a compression sleeve and do 5-10 minutes very easy warm up; check, check and check. Just at the end of my warm up was a very small, rather negligible, incline. When I hit that (softly, gently), Bam! There was the pain. Shit! Shit! Shit! What do I do? What do I do? In my mind I'm panicking, I can't pull out now, it hasn't even started. Ok, just walk around, take it easy. They started gathering everyone for the start and I figured, ok, let's just see, if it really hurts, I'll stop.

I asked Michelle ahead of time what I should do if I felt it, stupid question, I know, but I needed assurance that if I had to bag this race that someone else would agree with that decision. Who better than my coach?

The gun (horn, really) went off and we were running. I took it very slowly. Easy, easy....I felt it a little, but not bad, maybe I could run it off (who am I kidding?). Then we came to a slight downhill and the pain was there. So bad that I had to limp/run. I probably had not gone even 1 mile, but I knew it was over. I hit the porta potty and walked back to the start. A very inglorious end to my morning. It was like the walk of shame; I was so embarrassed. A few runners inquired if I was ok and a volunteer asked if I needed assistance back to the start. I declined, but my eyes were welling up and I was trying to keep it together. It was so hard to see the runners moving away and hear people cheering. Tears just started streaming down my face. I won't lie, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I didn't want to, but I've been holding it in for so long, trying not to feel like 'poor me', so I gave myself permission to feel really sorry for myself, especially since no one was there to witness it. I figured, at the very least, it would be a release, maybe a bit cathartic. It sounded convincing enough in my own head.

So far $58 in lost race fees (two races) with another a few weeks away. Now, when I can least afford it and am trying to figure out how to pay for the big ones that matter. I really am so mad at myself. I have no one to blame but myself for this calf situation. Just when you think you know what 'gradual', 'easy', 'slow' means....I go out in vibrams for 20 minutes (one time!) in an effort to get on the road to helping my ITBS and instead I eff up my calf; touché irony!

It's funny, I sometimes think, "ok, let's just pack it in for awhile. No training, no nothing, just let my body get back to zero and start over", but I know I can't and I know that that isn't necessarily the answer. I've come too far to stop now. Just the fact that I've missed a 'long run' has my head spinning. It's funny where our thoughts take us. One thing I do know, it's probably not going to be a stellar race year for me. My expectations are pretty low, so I can't be anything but happy if and when I manage to finish a race. It sucks to feel like I'm settling, but any other way of thinking for me will have me flirting with long term injury if I don't. It's the only reason I stopped today before it was too late. Oh sure, I knew I'd never finish the race if I pushed on; I'd have crippled myself in the attempt, but I wouldn't have completed it. Just knowing that I needed to accept things as they are is what convinced me that going any further would be foolish.

In any case, here's to the road to recovery and a long ride tomorrow.

Please, please visit the my Cafe Press shop and buy yourself a little something (I made this logo just for you tri peeps)! All proceeds will go to the relief effort in Japan. I would also be most grateful if you could point people in this direction to help in the effort. Thank you (you know I'm going to keep hounding you, right?)

Foto Friday: Strange and Tragic

2011-03-25T07:24:00.000-04:00

Today, March 25th is the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in which 146 people (mostly women and young girls) lost their lives. This fire highlighted the need for sweeping change to the inhumane working conditions at that time. Many of the dead perished in the building because the exit door was locked (either to keep the workers in or the union organizers out), while others lept to their deaths out of windows or fell from the fire escape which collapsed under the weight of those trying to escape the fire. Fire truck ladders were not long enough to reach the top floors where the fire was. Today that same building is part or the NYU campus, but each year there is a memorial for those who died.

The building today.

On this same date 26 years ago another fire occurred at the (unlicensed) Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx. This fire was started by a jilted ex-boyfriend. Eighty-seven people died. Two years prior to the fire the building was closed because of safety violations: no fire exits, sprinkler system or alarms. There was no documentted follow up by the fire department to see if these violations were corrected.

It is clear that there were fire exits at the time of the fire, but they were blocked in an effort to prevent people from trying to enter the club without paying. Today the corner where the fire occured is called the "Plaza of the Eighty-Seven" in memorial to those who died.

Memorial that stands across the street from where the fire occurred.

Please take some time to visit my Cafe Press shop. I've created a design that I've put on 'stuff' you can buy and at the same time help the relief effort in Japan. You can reach the shop by clicking on the logo in the upper right of my blog. 100% of all profits will be donated. Thank you!

Show Some Love For Japan

2011-03-24T11:53:00.000-04:00

Here is the logo as you may not get the full appreciation of it on the store site (you can click to enlarge it).