The End! (Or is it?)

It's all such a whirlwind and I'm still emotionally and physically drained. I could probably write a 10 page paper about my race experience, but I'll try to edit myself and keep it brief-ish. If it were really brief, it wouldn't be me writing this. ;)

So race day finally approached. After a nice evening filled with a healthy cooked dinner, a lavender-filled bath, some shaving, and last minute packing, I hit the hay. Alarm set for 2:45 a.m. (no snoozing allowed this morning). We got out the door at 3:20 a.m., just 5 minutes behind schedule. Naturally there was little traffic on the highways (most was in G'ville from those who were still up partying) so we made excellent time.

Got to the park as maybe the 9th car in and got registered in the pitch black. My race number? 7. Lucky number 7. I dug it. Brought my bike over to the transition area and the whole rack was completely open so I got LITERALLY the best parking spot in the entire area, right out front! I set up shop (bike helmet on seat, crate on ground and shoes next to it with socks inside, etc.). I was wondering how to best do it all and was studying others (Oh, that's right, kickstands AREN'T cool, so you sort of hang your bike on the bar!) and soon Vinny from Foxboro, MA came along. Vinny was a total pro, a 59 year old who looked not a day over 45, and who does Ironmans through the year. Nice guy. In the couple hours before the race, I watched people come in and nudge their bikes in next to mine to get a better position. Amazing what people will do.

Anyway, we were set up and Kate lent me her spring suit and she wore one also. We did a mini jog, got in line, and got ready. All we had to do was swim out to the buoy and go around it and swim back. DAMN that thing looked far away! So before we knew it there was a countdown and we were off. Kate & I took the left side middle position which served us well. I only was kind of running into someone towards the beginning, at one point apologizing before I realized that HEY, he was running into ME and I swam away from him. There was a strong glare and I stopped frequently to tread water, take my goggles off, and see where on Earth the damn buoy was. Not terribly efficient, but what the heck. I think I did that often too because the whole experience was so surreal and unsettling. I mean, I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere and it was madness. Still, I put my head down and plowed along. After what seemed like eternity, I found myself upon the buoy. In a daze I watched as some people were kind of treading water around it like it was a mystical God, but then I got my sh** together and moved on. It was tough going back as there were swimmers coming at me towards the buoy and I was going away. Still, I wore on and made it. The water was dark, like we knew, but it felt nice and cool and crisp. Was thankful for Kate's suit. When I finally got out, I had no idea how I'd done but I felt spent. I felt like I'd just exited the water after being shipwrecked and swimming to land. It was hard to imagine that somehow I had to put myself back together and now run 1/4 mile on dirt and road to change and do MORE exercise...

So my transition was extremely poor. I was running slow, feeling slow, and everyone around me was moving faster. I was still in transition when I saw Kate come in from the swim. I got on the bike and took off, promising to myself that I could relax on the bike for a bit. Had to pull over immediately when I realized there was no way I could put on bike gloves whilst riding (I'm not THAT coordinated) but then I got a decent groove. Sometimes I passed, sometimes I got passed. It took some time to get my breathing feeling normal due to all the excitement, but I made it. I had taped the directions to my bike (along with the words BREATHE and SMILE) but of course they changed the course AGAIN so those didn't work. I kept looking for Kate to pass me since she's stronger on the bike, but it didn't happen. Finally I saw her coming in the opposite direction, apparently she'd passed me ages ago. Seeing her fueled me to get a move on. I remembered while biking that the whole point of this thing is to HAVE FUN and so I started doing just that. When passing little kids, I told them they were doing great. I asked a cop who was directing the race if she'd mind trading places with me for a little bit. It got me smiling which helped. The bike portion seemed to go by quickly and soon I was just trading the helmet for a Sox hat and running.

My run was slow but steady. Immediately people were zipping by me, but I didn't care. And in time, I was passing some people. A lot of people seemed to stop and walk for a bit and then pick up to a solid clip, but I kept with my slow and deliberately steady pace. Again, I tried to have some fun. While running through the campground area, I came upon some kids who were saying the jersey numbers aloud. "341, 253, 7..." When they said my number, I started whooping and hollering. "Yeeeeeeeah, SEVEN!" I yelled. They smiled. At one point I came upon a guy with a giant grill, cooking up some yummy grub. I turned to the five people running behind me and said "Hey, that doesn't smell bad now does it?" Finally I came upon the last water station. I thought for sure I'd have about 5 mins left at that point. "Just a mile left" the guy said. Eeks. I wasn't running strong, so this would take around 10 mins I figured. Luckily I saw my young friends again, who shouted out "Gooooooo 7, yeah!!!" That was fun. Vinny ran by me in the opposite direction and in a moment I blanked on his name and instead yelled out "Go Foxboro!" I passed the time by watching the calves of those who ran by me, looking for fellow MFT women in the 30-34 age group. I came upon two men, one who was in his 60s and one in his 40s and passed them. Was told we were 1/4 mile away, and the 60 year old said to his younger friend, "I'm going to pick up the pace here," and immediately blew my a** out of the water. I started to pour it on hard, thinking I'd turn the corner and that was it but it was still a bit to go. No time to slow down now. I saw Kate and John cheering as I sored through the finish line. I gasped for air, was handed a water, and then lunged for John's Bloody Mary. ;)

Kate and I immediately started talking shop about the race. I found out that I was one of the first female swimmers to finish (4th I believe) and that Kate finished about 5 minutes ahead of me. She remembered being passed by two of our competitors towards the end and they took first and second, making Kate in THIRD place in our age group (SHE GOT A MEDAL. SHE'S THE BOMB!) I got fourth and am feeling pretty good about it all.

I was (am) feeling pretty good about the whole deal. It was exciting and nerve-wracking and fun. I wanted to go for less than 2 hours, I went in 1:35. I wanted to not have any big issues, and I didn't. I wanted to not get DFL in my age group, and I didn't! Yaaaaaaaay.

My body is sore and I'm exhausted. It was a long day, but a fun day. When I went back to my bike I found the race number band that Vinny had worn in his race sitting on my bike. "I have a few of 'em, you can use it for your next race!" he said. We closed it off by eating food Kate's mother-in-law had made. Ham sandwiches with cheese and mustard never tasted so good. "We should make this a yearly event!" Kate said. We could, we could. And ironically enough, the countdown I had set on my Myspace page actually reset itself to say that my triathlon is in 364 days. Ya never know what could be next... ;)

Off to bed now but more to say tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Final Pre-Race Message...

This is it. The next time you read a post from me, it should be after the race. Wow, that's even scary to write. Anyway, here's an update on the latest news...

*Latest figures have me around $500 for donations! Yay! Although this is far from my goal of $5,000, it is a start. I'm hoping I can make it to $1,000 by tomorrow. Anyone wanna do a $500 donation? Any takers? ;)

*Dropped my bike off at the shop and was pleased with the service. Later read a bad review about the place from a girl who, of all things, went in for a simple tune up like me. Jesus. I tried to think positive and picked up my bike today. Imagine a busted bike at 3:30pm before race day. So although it's raining pretty heavy, I tried it out some and found the breaks aren't squeaking any more and it appears to be working fine. The newest quirky thing was that the guy said he lowered my handlebars 1/2 inch because they 'weren't safe' and I'm hoping that doesn't feel to strange to me.

*Weather report changed from t-storms & high winds to just high winds. Yay. Winds: SW at 15 to 25 mph. That will do wonders on the ole confidence level as I ride into a brick wall of wind, but many people have reminded me that we will ALL be going through the same winds. That actually does ease my mind. Some.

* We had a 'Webinar' the other day to give us race updates. I fired out several questions at once (why not) and much to my chagrin, the guy running it answered all of them AND said our names with the question. So there was a lot of "Kristin asks: What about the weather? And Kristin again asks: Will there be changing stations?" Man. Anyway, I made it through that but came up with another new worry: Directions. You see, I'm a little directionally challenged. Our bike course has been rerouted and the guy running our Webinar said "Look, you have to learn the course. Don't rely on the Policemen or Race Helpers to guide you on the right path." Oh oh oh. Also, at least 3 people in the Webinar expressed concern about the running not being marked out well, stating that some of them have raced at Moss Park before and couldn't find the path to finish the race. I could be one of those people. Oh, oh, oh. I have given serious consideration to taping the directions onto my bike. I mean, since I don't happen to have a bike navigation system "Turn right here in 1.5 miles...." I could make my own. I know it's probably lame. Shut up. I might do it anyway.

*Now my goal (of course) is to finish the race. Within that goal are mini goals. To not be the DFL of the race, that's a goal. But get this...every age group for the My First Tri has the top 5 finishers getting awards. How many people in my age group? You guessed it: Six. Is someone playing a cruel, cruel trick on me? So you know that I can't come in 6th, right? My best hope is 5th or that a group of other people sign up last minute and then it doesn't matter if I got 6th in my age group...

(Man, this is getting long. Nervous rambling. Sorry. Last thing.)

*A friend sent along this video and I thought it was pretty funny. Tomorrow at about 8:15 a.m. this will be me along with 84 other orange-capped first timers:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=U_6tOzt-nfM

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!!!
Of course I am still taking donations for AWB and you can always donate some love and good thoughts to me too.

Cheers!!!
xoxo,
Kristin

Calm, but for a minute...

Was I sounding calm there for a minute? Gee, sorry about that.

I have gotten at least three emails from the race folks with important news in the past week and a half. The latest one, just received minutes ago, carries the following subject line: "HUGE changes in Wildman3". HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOO, LIKE I WASN'T NERVOUS ENOUGH?!

Turns out all along they have been sending us details on the 2007 race, not 08. I don't even know what that means, but I have to check it out. Next, they have decided (as of 1pm today, mind you) to reroute the bike portion of the race. Why? What a great question. I HAVE NO IDEA.....

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...

New Goggles Suck, Bicept Muscles Are Sore, Newfound Love for Old Wheels, and Other Adventures...

It wasn't meant to be such a busy tri day, but it was.

Yesterday I had ambitiously planned to hit the gym just for a quick "Oh, yeah, so this is what it feels like to swim laps" swim and to test out the spiffy new goggles. I don't believe I mentioned it here, but recently I got me some new goggles. It was long overdue, as my old ones are leaking, so I was excited to get going. Now I ended up purchasing said goggles while in the midst of thrift store shopping this weekend. My friend needed to hit up a pool store and these goggles I found were the best ones they had. They are kiddie size, but looked big enough, and black with hologram fish on the lenses. SEXY. So I got them, and today I zipped over to the pool to give them a whirl.

Started off with a four length warm up. Stopped to adjust goggles and found that the foam had almost completely peeled off each side of goggle. I couldn't even believe it. Frustrated, I resorted to the old goggles. I took the leaky guys and readjusted them tighter. Wouldn't you know, it worked! The suckers don't leak any longer. Hallelujah!

Then I was left to worry beyond my goggles. My swimming was less than stellar. Lead arms all the way. I felt slow. Well, I felt like my arms were slow. Other than that, the experience was wonderful and somewhat similar to what I'll experience Saturday. I shared the lane with a pleasant elderly fellow who swam slowly and innocently took up more than his side of the lane. His lumbering along paired with my equally slow and splashy neighbor simulated race-like conditions. The water was actually quite foggy, which was again great because that was race like too. I danced (or rather, swam) the fine line of wanting to kind of push hard and get a good swim in (since it had been so long) or to honor the fact that - HELLO! race in a few days!- and anyway, it all went well. Felt nicely winded and slid over to the hot tub where I sat with 7 elderly men, massaging my aching biceps all the while.

Next I had to rush off to the bike shop for a last minute tune up. I was anxious to get the bike in TODAY for repair so I could have it ready on time. It was there that I had the most pleasantest of experiences. The employee treated my bike like it was a true beauty instead of an old beat up thing. He suggested I not tape up the handles but keep the peeling foamy bits on so it retained that "I just pulled this out of the garage" type look. It was my first bike shop experience here in G'ville and I loved it. Previously I got the whole "Ooo, this is your bike? Ewww" feeling at shops. Maybe I was imagining it, but I am sure there was a little of that vibe there since I wasn't spending a measly $500 to purchase one of their 'lower end' bikes. Naw, this place was different. The guy even gave me a website to check out other old school bikes that had been suped up by their owners. I left feeling a little bit more love towards my old "American Made" wheels...

When I came home, my new Acupuncturist Without Borders t-shirt had arrived. I anxiously opened the package, worried the shirt would be too small. It was on the smaller side, but nothing a little stretching can't fix. :)

Lastly, I checked my email to see some solid advice and encouragement from some friends I'd made on a tri training website along the way. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling and a little bit more confidence to get out there and DO IT!

Hope this confidence lasts tonight...just an hour away from the Webinar that will tell us all about the race. Hope that doesn't make me more nervous. ;)

Till next time....
xoxo,
K
P.S. PLEASE PLEASE when you donate, find a place in the notes field and add my name! Kristin Althea!

Last Hoorah...

Today I went for my last hard workout before the big race. Technically you are supposed to take the entire week off to prep for the race, but one of my big training days from last week was rained out (it rained from 7am through the ENTIRE day) so I felt it was ok to squeeze in one more big workout.

Took the bike out and got in a solid, faster ride this time which got me huffing and puffing. I even managed to scare a little turtle, who did a little "What the?!" and ducked into his shell quickly as I sped by. Came home, dropped the bike off, changed from bike helmet to Red Sox cap, grabbed the ipod and I was off for a solid run. I felt good and then when I finished I felt good and tired. I think I had fully convinced myself that it was going to be OK, that I just needed to take it easy and finish, when I sat down and checked my email...

...the note from Kate told me that the weather for Saturday was "High Winds and Thunderstorms." Oy vey. I'm not even sure how to handle that. I can't imagine. I wonder what it takes to cancel an event. That would be such a bummer. We have a webinar tomorrow night to get the lowdown on all things race-like so I should know more then. Of course, I'll fill ya in.

Looking forward to checking out a local gym and getting a few days of easy swims in. Getting my final bike tune up too. And that's all, folks. The race is RIGHT THERE. Man...

Anyway, last thing to mention now is that I found the News Journal article online, the one about Kate & I and our race. It has fancy pictures and everything. I included the link in separate blog and also tacked it on to the list of links on the right hand side of my blog. Check it out!

Alright, I'm pooped. That's that for now.

Cheers!
xoxo,
K

Whoa....

Just found the News Journal online with pictures and everything. Yay!

http://www.mytopiacafe.com/topic/healthandfitness/sub_detail.html?sub_type=stories&list_type=normal&sub_id=4478

A Variety of Heart Attacks...

Maybe the title to this blog is a little dramatic. Maybe.

Sooooooo...the race is just days away. Not 6 months, 6 DAYS. I'm nervous. It's understandable, right? I'm sure. My nerves are not being helped by the emails the race organizers keep sending out with "IMPORTANT Updates." My internet access has been spotty for the past week plus so to have such urgency coming to me in a way I can't always easily get to is, well, unnerving. Sigh. Aaaaaaanyway...

I'd rather focus on the other kind of heart attacks I'm having lately. They are the kind you get when someone does something amazing for you and your heart skips a beat, puffs out with love, and sings. Those kinds. I am getting those lately from donations. I'm amazed at the generosity of those out there. I'm humbled that people care enough about me to believe in AWB and to support them. I feel like I'm floating on all these donations. I feel like the words will never find me to fully express how meaningful it is to have this support.

I'm going to take this feeling and bottle it up and unleash it on race day. I'm going to have it be my energy drink to get through the biking portion when the wind is blowing at me head on. I'm going to use it to help me continue to chug along when my legs don't want to run anymore. I'm going to continue to be inspired. Thank you all so, so much. Thank you!

The Wind At My Face

A few days ago I had a wonderful training day. A bike run combo. It was a weekday and it was midday and the bike path was mine alone. I sped along it, working hard. It was sunny and beautiful and peaceful out and the path felt like it was mostly cleared for me. It was wonderful. I came home and replaced my bike helmet with my baseball cap, grabbed my ipod, and immediately went for a run. The bike to run transition doesn't appear that it will be easy, ever, but I think Kate's advice of taking it slow is solid advice. This was the first bike to run transition where I actually felt my legs lengthen out in time and the run was more smooth. Ah, bliss.

The joy I felt that day reminded me of how fortunate I am. I mean, even for those of you out there who aren't able to get away for a midday bike ride, you all have the ability to live in a safe place. The organization I am doing this race for, Acupuncturists Without Borders, supports people who have been through wars, natural disasters, and traumas. We are lucky to live like we do, without much worry for these types of issues. We should do everything we can to support those who need the support, just as others would help us if we needed a helping hand.

My race is just a week and a day away. I have spent six months sweating and training hard, trying to fit all of this training into my newly busy schedule, because it is important to me to help others. A little while back I added a quote to my outgoing email messages that said, "Love me? Go here" and listed the link to donate. And I meant that. If you love me, please support me through this amazing organization. I am now devoting my life to becoming an acupuncturist and helping others, and your donation will show your support to what matters to me most.

To donate, you can do so online or you can mail a check to Acupuncturists Without Borders. If you donate online, please be sure to add my name to the notes field.
Here is the link to donate: http://www.acuwithoutborders.org/donate_online.php

You can also see that Acupuncturists Without Borders is supporting my race and has featured a little bit about me on the front page of their site.

Thank you so much.

Love always,
Kristin Althea

Bike Plus Run Makes For a Hearty Brick Lunch

Phew. What a day.

To start, today I finally got my butt out to the bike trail I've heard so much about. After riding to a gas station to fill up the tires, we finally snaked our way around to the trail. It starts with a memorial (made of bike parts) for 6 people who were involved in a bike accident in 1996. The group had been instrumental about getting the bike trail set up and two of the six died in the crash. Sad. From there, the trail begins with obvious, heartbreaking signs of homelessness. In time it crosses less and less main roads and signs of wildlife and peace emerge. We were able to ride to a lookout where wild turkeys were about. As I delicately and slowly rode towards them, they still appeared scared and ran all funny. We finally got to the outlook it was a gorgeous vast open part of Paines' Prairie where turkeys mulled around little watering holes. Good times. Also along the trail for wildlife were a snake (kind of a fatty which was gave me the eebie jeebies), a squirrel (which kept faking me out as to whether he was going to dart in front of me or not) and ducks and turtles hanging out in little ponds. Lovely. The entire trip was about 2 hours but the real "meat" of it was about an hour and a half. I'll take it. It wasn't fast by any means, but it felt great to get a solid ride out there (time-wise) and to work again at feeling comfortable on the bike. This was the most I have ridden around people and traffic, and I survived so that's a good start. :) Perhaps the best part was that John enjoyed himself too and wants to go again tomorrow. Yay.

On the ride home I knew I should try to get a little run in there to get used to transitioning from one sport to the next. Since Kate had talked about how challenging this is, I knew I ought to make it a priority. So I brought the bike in, threw on a baseball hat, grabbed the ole iPod (which I THANKFULLY found yesterday) and took off. On the way home I had decided 5 minutes would be fine if it was excruciating, but 10 would be suitable in general. I started off really really slowly, remembering that Kate's friend who does many triathlons had recommended a slow start since the legs need to slowly adjust to the new movement. Almost immediately I crossed paths with a man who pumped his fists and called out "Lookin' good, kid!" I love the encouragement. :) So I ran and ran and kept it slow but steady. I prefer to think of it as chugging along. The little train that could maybe. Just keep going. And I felt OK. Well, sure, I could see what Kate was saying. My leg muscles felt 3/4 of the regular length, it was like running on tightened springs. I think the advice to start slow saved me. I just kept it small, steady, and easy. I decided to go for 20 minutes. I even toyed with 30 but decided it would be better to train tomorrow instead of kill myself today. My legs didn't quite loosen and lengthen much with time, but I just focused on staying steady and running. "The race isn't about perfect muscles," I told myself, "It's about finishing and running for a good cause."

I got home and stretched, pleased that I had spent about 1 hour, 50 minutes with solid exercise. Much like the upcoming race. Lovely. Now to just keep it up, work for speed, work harder, work for consistency. Yes. But now, well now I am guzzling water, covered in the sweet salty smell of sweat, and needing a shower and some R&R. 'Till next time...

xoxo,
K

No iPod? No Kate? No woman, no cry.

I misplaced my iPod after yoga. I misplaced my training buddy when I moved. This doesn't mean the world has to come to an end, that training will cease. It just means I have to find strength from within to get off my butt and train. And it means I might have to look a little foolish doing so...

So I went for a run. Without Kate, without iPod. And without stopwatch since I didn't have one. What did I take with me? My cell phone. Nice, I know. I am sure I spent the better part of that 45 minute run looking like someone too psycho to have left the phone at home as I continually checked it for time. Sigh. Such is life.

This weekend I look forward to a nice long bike ride. I'll do it solo if I have to. I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping the weather holds up, as it has been grey grey lately. I'm hoping too that I get more donations. I'm less than a month away now and I want my #s to go up. SUPPORT ME!!! GIVE ME LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! PLEASE!!!

Alright, enough begging. Time for a run.

Thanks for all of your support!
xoxo,
K

Missing My Training Partner...

It has been some time since I've written again. Sorry!!! In the past few weeks I have moved, worked on getting settled into a new job and neighborhood, and worked on the final exam for my yoga training. Oh, and I had some acupuncture homework due. Oh and I'm training here for a triathlon which is in...gulp...just over ONE MONTH!!!

I can't believe how fast time has flown. I can't believe how close I am to this race which once seemed like it would never come. I can't believe how far away I am from my training buddy!

Kate & I spent the past 5 months busting our butts for this race. It was great to always have someone by my side, sweating and huffing and puffing with me as we ran, swam, and biked the miles away. It was really cathartic, really, to meet up after a long day of work and just vent about life, catch up with each other, and laugh. Although we trained hard we laughed hard too. Especially before swimming. Maybe it was the chlorine. ;)

So now I'm away from Kate, 2.5 hours away to be more precise, and training together isn't happening any longer. I'll put it simply: It sucks. This is the part where we are supposed to really dive in and give it our all but instead I feel kind of, well, alone. I'm in a whole new world out here. I haven't found a heated pool and can't consider spending the money for one month at a gym. I'm figuring the swimming won't be so bad anyway. The biking is a huge ordeal. Must find some good bike trails and do it up. Simply must. And running. Must find a good path and stick to it. Lately my runs have been sub-par for sure as I'm not running a set path but rather up and down streets and avenues and that's that. Hmph.

Today I at least got to catch up with Kate via tele. She shared some laughs with me about training, specifically about a horrible pool she swam in (glad she made it out alive!) and she talked about the struggles of the bike to run transition. Gotta work on that myself. Fortunately for me, I have gotten some donations lately (or as I like to call them, DOUGH-nations) and am hoping for more to spark that fire in me. Keep it up guys, your support means EVERYTHING!!! Every little dollar counts towards helping push me forward in this race!!

xoxo,
K

Swim, Swam, Swum

Two days of training. Two days of swimming...

The first day was planned. We wanted to do a medium sized swim, a 20 minute straight one, because there were post swim plans. Then we were off and swimming, all going well, 'till Kate's foot cramped up something awful and it was towards the end anyway so we stopped.

The thing is, at this point of the training, we have to go hard but we also have to be careful. A little nagging injury now could easily become a more serious one and then become something we are dealing with either close to race time or, even worse, during the actual race. So it was good to stop and tend to Kate's foot, and because of the issue we opted to swim the next day too since that's the lesser of the evils when it comes to handling a foot issue. And it felt good.

So two days of swimming, 'cept the second one was quite different. This time we tried to do a shorter, faster swim. I thought it would help us gauge our race pace better, since all along we've been swimming longer steady distances. So this time we took turns, one person swimming for 10 minutes and the other person timing, counting laps, and alerting the swimmer how much time was left by submerging a hand with the appropriate amount of fingers displaying the time. I thought it was awesome because it added a little bit of a nerve factor in there and let me see how I was doing timewise and lapwise. I learned a few things: I can go faster if I just tap in to the moment, I need to breathe more evenly and thus calmly, and I need to get new goggles. Stopping every 6 or so lengths to let water out is, well, just LAME.

So that's the latest here. Today was spent "cross training" if you dare call it that: Took a long walk with Kate and my dog Jaya and then have spent the evening doing an intensive cleaning job on the house. And since I'm stalling on that now in lieu of writing this blog, well, I guess I oughtta get back to that. More soon...

xo,
K

P.S. Just days away from the article in the newspaper...can't wait!!!

P.P.S. Please support AWB, donate today: http://www.acuwithoutborders.org/donate_online.php
***Be sure to put 'Kristin Althea' in the notes field!

Almost Famous...

Yesterday we had our tiny little brush with fame.

We got interviewed and had pictures taken for an article that is slated to run in the Daytona Beach News Journal this Sunday. YIPPEE!!! Of course I'll supply the link when it happens. Of course.

It was a funny process all around. Kate and I found ourselves talking non-stop about the training experience, too fast for the reporter to keep up with us. Then we got to have pictures of us taken while stretching and running. It brought a whole new level of worry to the exercising aspect. Thoughts like "Is my hat crooked? Is my shirt flipped up? Is my nose running?" flew through our minds. But we made it through the experience, even the part where the photographer was driving slowly next to us as we ran, leaning out the window and snapping zillions of photos as he drove. I think we handled it all with grace. Maybe? I guess I won't know for sure 'till the paper comes out on Sunday...

...and till then all there is time to do is exercise! So since my hammies felt a little sore from my yoga weekend, we debated about what kind of run to do yesterday. It was either the fast 20 minute or the semi-fast 40 minute. I figured we should shoot for the latter since it would be an easier pace. It was feeling good but we opted to go for a 30-ish minute run instead, just to keep it on the down low for my whiny hammies. Good times.

Today, in a little bit, we'll go for a swim. That will be about the same time, but will be a quickie (lack of conversation) as Kate has a post-exercise dinner to attend...

So that's that on my newly almost famous life. More later...

K Gets Her Groove Back?

Two days of solid workouts, two days of getting the groove back...

Yesterday we swam. A solid 26 min swim which left us with leadlike arms and blissfully tired. It was that 'warm fuzzy tired' you get from a good solid exercise. The hot tub sucked us in and was heaven. I know Kate came home and hit the hay early, and I myself showered, had a burrito and beer (thanks to my boyfriend) and hit the hay early myself...

Today was a bike. Picked up my bike at the shop (Fox Firestone Bike Shop in NSB, they're great!) with its new SECURE seat, new pedal cages, and a fresh tune up. Felt great. The guy at the shop pointed out to me that my bike handles are actually crooked, a sign that the bike had been in a previous wipeout. He then paused and eyed me suspiciously. "What?! It wasn't me. Honest!" I said. I chuckled as he instructed me to push the right handlebar down in the event of a future accident in hopes of correcting the current imbalance. Nice.

Anyway, so Kate & I went out for a ride, a "short" one that would only take about 30 mins. The ride out was great. I felt like I was keeping a good pace with Kate and the bike felt smooth. Found the right gear, found the right rhythm, and we were off!

Then we turned to come home. OOOOOOOOO, wind! Strong strong gusts of wind, but mostly wind blowing right at us. I watched as Kate plowed ahead of me yet again and I felt my muscles ache as I pedaled and pedaled. It felt like a giant invisible hand was pushing back at me, telling me I couldn't move forward. It wasn't easy. But what could I do? Give up? Walk? Of course not. So I plugged on. Finally met up with Kate for a much easier ride home since we were on a side street away from the stronger wind.

Learned a couple of things today...
1) Riding low is DEFINITELY the best move to avoid the stronger winds.
2) Pedal cages RULE! I don't know how I would've gotten through that strong wind today without those damn things which helped me pull and push.
(Please note, if you are reading this and plan on competing against me in the race, I was just joking. Pedal cages are a complete waste of money and really challenging to use and will barely help you at all!)

I have to say too, the race is SOON! Less than 2 months away now and I think of it EVERY SINGLE TIME I go out to exercise. It's amazing how long ago we started this training. When all is said and done we would've spent SIX MONTHS training for this race! Back when we started it seemed like a lifetime away until the race but now it just feels so close and like every workout counts. I know many people don't start to train for an event like this until there is only 2 months until the event, and knowing this makes me want to step up the pace more. I'm hoping for a solid weekend of yoga followed by a solid weekend of exercise. Hopefully next week we'll hit a nice solid groove and become, well, totally groovy? (I know, I'm corny!)

One is the lonliest number...

Tonight we planned for a 'short run' night. Originally that was going to be 3 miles. Instead, I came up with the brilliant idea that we should try to do 2.75 miles exactly (our race mileage) to see how fast we could do it. I figured it would be good to have a base time and go from there...

So after the warm up, the stretching, the calculating (1/2 mile to the grey house, etc.) we were off and running. 'Cept Kate was off and flying and I was, well, off and crawling. I will say it was one hell of a windy day and I will say that I kept a solid clip for how I was feeling. I mean, I felt like I pretty much gave it my all. Just the same, Kate was a la Road Runner and I was operating as the turtle that didn't win the race.

I kept running with a wide stance in hopes that I'd cover lost ground. I know that was probably a bad idea, and even as it was happening I was trying to stop it, but I just couldn't. Somewhere, the wiring in my brain tells me "You have long legs, use them to your advantage and stretch out that run!!!" and I'll be damned if I can stop my own brain. Anyway, when I was finished and checked in with Speedy, I found she gave it her all too. :) Kate was actually really close to her goal pace and I was, well, 2 minutes and change behind my overall time. Ah well, better run next time. For both of us. Although it was lonely running without Kate (she was a little ant in the distance) it was a good opportunity to have the 'race' feeling of trying to catch up. And really, I was proud of her!

Now I am left with super tight calves (a result of my wide stance running???) and this nagging question: I have been sluggish lately working out...WHAT GIVES?! Kate has been running (and biking) circles around me. I'm not feeling the rush I felt from a good day of exercising, I'm not feeling fast and full of life. It is less than two months now (yesterday was 2 months!) to race day and I should be powering it out now. Instead, it's blah. Why?!

And as I ran tonight alone, I did me some thinking. I have a new potential theory. Diet. Perhaps the culprit to my lack of energy is the fact that I didn't eat healthy in December and haven't really cleaned up my act much lately. I mean, could it be??? Could chocolate chip cookies and ice cream not be the energizers that I thought them to be? ;) I have been sleeping fine, working fine, keeping busy cleaning the home but nothing too crazy. Hmmm...interesting interesting. So at this point I think changing my diet might not be a bad idea. Well heck, it wouldn't be a bad idea anyway but now it's seeming even more and more appealing. It will be interesting to see how the change affects me. I'll keep ya posted. :)

That's all for now, I'm going to take my slow butt to the shower for a quick rinse & do more calf stretching...and less cookie eating...

Bikeride From H-E-L-L...

It seemed like a simple enough task: An hour bike ride. Even though I had never really done that before I was sure it wouldn't be a problem because we could be flexible on speed. No big deal.

I bought a new bike seat in anticipation for the ride. Well, I needed a new one anyway since my old one is just too hard, and this seemed like the right time. I was really excited about it because it is really squishy soft and it was on sale. Bonus! I brought it home and even managed to put it on all by myself. I was feeling pretty good about things. Pre-ride we inflated our tires and I learned that mine were severely low. Now equipped with a new seat and freshly inflated tires, I was sure we'd rock out on the ride.

We got to the park, rode a little, and stretched. The seat felt like it was kind of angled upwards kinda funny, but I figured I'd get used to it. After the warm-up I got back on my bike I noticed the seat was a little bit loose. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I was wrong. But first I had to ride 22 minutes in to discover how wrong I was...

So yes, 22 minutes in we stopped for Kate to adjust her foot cramp. It was at that point that my seat really loosened up. And we realized that not only was the seat loose from side to side but that it could be tilted forward and back. And not only could it be tilted up and down but it wouldn't stay in one spot but kept shifting with every minute movement. It was at this point I knew I was in for a long ride back...

...but I had no idea how long of a ride back it would be. You see, the seat wouldn't stay still for a moment, but kept shifting and shifting. I was left with two options: To either do my best to ride on it and keep it still, or to try to stand lifting myself off the seat for most of the ride back. I chose a little bit of both options. Neither was pleasant. The first option meant that all of my weight was distributed on my, well, let's say it was not on my butt but further forward. OUCH. Yeah. And the second option just meant more engaged muscles and a sore back.

At this point you're getting the drift that it wasn't a good time. Eventually I got annoyed enough that I asked Kate to stop with me so I could take a break. She graciously volunteered to ride my bike on out and let me use hers. Perhaps she is a masochist. I think she was just being nice. Anyway, of course I took her up on that offer. As she sped off into the distance (she opted for the "pedal hard and then cruise while being off the seat" method) I proceeded to get my pants caught in the bike's gears. As I watched her fade away in the distance, I tried to go forwards, backwards, but there was no budging. "I can't believe this" I mumbled and pulled off the road to fix it. It was stuck pretty good and after much yanking I finally got the damn pants out of the bike. Chuckling, I rolled my pants up all dorky style and pushed on the pedal to finally catch up to Kate.

Ah, but not so fast! I had pulled the chain off while dealing with the pants fiasco. Now if you recall, I'm not exactly a "bike person" and what I mean by this is, yes, this is my first time dealing with a chain being off a bike and having to fix it myself. What to do? It was at this time that I saw a truck approaching and felt a mix of delight and embarrassment as I heard it slow down. Park Ranger. Don't I feel like the cool kid now. I tried to get some words together but probably didn't make much sense. I fumbled with the chain as he stood there for a moment and then I felt like I worked it out OK and told him I was set. He was pretty much on his way out anyway. As I started off again, I could see him stop up ahead in the distance, talking to Kate. I finally approached to find out that the nut had come flying off the seat, leaving Kate worse off than before. Thankfully we were by the exit at this time and since he didn't have a wrench, Kate rode off the seat for the end of the ride.

So you think the badness ends there? Nope. We got back to the car, stretched, packed the bikes in, and headed home. When we got home we were pulling the bikes out with what little strength we could muster. It wasn't much. The bikes were a little tangled (we stack them in the Jeep, etc.) and when we got them out I told Kate to check hers out to see if it was riding OK since the chain incident. She said it felt a little funny and then we noticed that the front line was severed-- the breaks! So now Kate needs to get her bike to the shop to replace the break line (if that is even what it is) and I need to bring mine in for a seat adjustment. UGH!!!

Well, they say he who has not tasted bitter cannot taste sweet. I'm waiting for the sweet to come, baby!

It has been awhile, yet it hasn't been awhile...

I haven't written on here since Dec 12. Whoops. But don't worry, I have been exercising. Promise...

There was a little exercise in the rest of December and things have picked up much in January. There have been bikes, swims, runs. All of them feel like starting over from the beginning, when really we have had over 3 months of training under our belts. I'd have to say its mostly mental, the struggle. The body hangs in there fine, hasn't even been extremely sore like normal. It's the mind that says things like "I can't do it, I can't do it" during a 45 minute run, etc. Ridiculous. Oh don't get me wrong, we're working out hard and I'm tired like normal from the intensity, but it's really a mind game here, folks. I am sure it will all come around again soon, we'll establish a groove. And this promises to be a solid week for us. We're going to get 5 solid workouts in, the "long days" we'll get over with first (including tonight's 43 minute run) and a few brick workouts in there too. I'm looking forward to it.

Also making some mental notes about things I'll need to get more organized. After having one too many bike rides with a sore butt, I've decided I am definitely getting a new bike seat. A nice cushy gel one. I also have been eying Kate's bike pedal cages, which I think will give me more strength. The bike portion is still clearly my weakness in this race, I really have to step it up in that area and I think hard work, a tune up, and a few new items will get me stronger. As the time nears I also realize I have to get my clothing options in check. Originally Kate & I planned to get something fun and funky and now that I'm running for AWB I need to figure out a way to get their stuff printed on my gear, etc. Decisions, decisions.

I'm too tired to keep writing. ;) Just had to post a little note so you know that I AM still working out over here and that you should still support me for this great cause...pretty please!!!

xo,
K