Restless

It seems like a miracle, but for once, there is nothing I'm training for. I feel lost. It's like there's no purpose for working out, but I just do it anyway. I think it hasn't helped that I've been home for 3 weeks, and let me tell you - it's hard to run at home. It is soooo cold. It's mostly the wind though. The wind is the biggest problem. I proved in Memphis I could do cold, but I can't seem to put on enough socks to fight the wind. I tell ya - these running shoes aren't very warm with all their fancy mesh.

The running at home is lonely at times. I kind of like being out in the country with just my tunes and the dirt road, but after training with Marc and the Boardtown group, the long runs seem a little lonely.

Country running has been nice at times though. I had an amazing run before Christmas. A feeling I've tried hard to recapture on the same route, but I guess it was just one of those days. A runner knows about "those days". The day when it feels like you could run forever and never get tired and you have to force yourself to stop because at some point your rational part (the part that tells you it's -1 with the wind chill and you have the flu, so maybe just 3 miles today) tells you to stop or you'll shatter a knee.

I was treated to a "warm" 45 degrees the other afternoon, so I went for a gloveless run, and it would have been great if not for the freshly plowed roads. I may not be able to rub a ribbon with my hands, but I can tell with fine accuracy if the soil beneath my sneaks is more silt than sand, and this road is almost pure silt. Like running in cocoa was all I good think as I plodded along (into the wind of course, because in Oklahoma you're always going in to the wind regardless of which way you're going).

I know I do it because I love it. There is no other explanation for why someone would put on two layers of everything (even the ear muffs) and venture out into 30 mph winds and freezing temps for a slow easy run. But it snowed 2 inches tonight. I think I'll draw the line there. It's not good to love too much.

Blisters Don't Need Chemo

This weekend was the race! And boy, was it cold. 26 degrees. Normally, you could still be warm in those temps if you were running, but thanks to the wave start, I spent about an hour or more just standing around freezing. I have never been so happy to start running 13 miles in my life. Until I realized my feet were numb of course. It was like running on blocks. I could not feel my toes or feel my feet rotating. I suffered for this on Sunday because my ankles and feet were very sore. Fortunately, other than stiffness and a mild hip pain, that was the extent of the woes. Well, except for the patch on my back that is always chaffed. Marc said he could tell the exact moment the shower reached that spot because he heard me whimpering through the walls at the hotel.

The run was great though. Cold temperatures aside, the warmth of the fans and runners was overwhelming. The race started with a St. Jude child singing the National anthem. What struck me was that this child was not a good singer. She was quite bad. But people were moved to tears nonetheless. Corral #9 was pumped to get to the starting blocks. We jumped and cheered and waved our arms, and then they told us we could go and the chirping of chip tracking was at a frenzy.

The run is nice. You run around the Pyramid, along the river, down Beale St., through St. Jude's campus, through Overton Park, and down Poplar, until you arrive at Autozone Park where you circle the infield for the finish. Highlights of the course would be running through a tunnel by the convention center because they have a band playing and it is LOUD!; running down Beale St. because it is so festive and there's music and people everywhere; running through St. Jude's campus because the kids and parents are lined up and they're shouting "thank you" as you go by; and running into Autozone Park because that means you're done!

Of course no race is complete unless I have senseless musings to record. Neat things I saw:

• A girl with a shirt that said, "Win or Lose, I'm Just Here for the Booze."
• A couple in matching shirts that said, "We're doing this for our son." And had his picture and his birth and death dates.
• A gorilla and a chicken singing and dancing the chicken dance on the side of Poplar.
• A sign on the St. Jude's campus that read, "Blisters don't need chemo."
• A panda welcoming me to the zoo.
• A guy in a shirt that read, "I want to kill your weeds." He was not a weed scientist. I asked. We did know some of the same people though (it's a long race; you get to know folks).
• A woman being carried by 2 friends at mile 10. Apparently she locked up her already delicate hip at mile 8 and they toted her to the finish for a 3:02 time.
  

I also saw a guy in the ambulance with road rash on his whole face and blood at a water stop where we were told repeated to "mind the ice." Perhaps he was responsible for protecting the rest of us.

One other not cool thing that happened - a girl died. She collapsed after finishing the half. I imagine this was hard to watch. Many families and friends sit at Autozone Park and wait for their loved ones to finish and she would have collapsed right in front of them. They're withholding her name and age, but the prevailing rumor is that she was 32. She loved running, but had a heart problem. You sign all kinds of waivers for even a 5K, and it never dawns on you that it's anything more than a formality, just like picking up a t-shirt and pinning on a number.

So Team413 - I finally said OK and did it. Team413 is a non-profit organization of Christian runners. There's not much to it. Simply put: you wear your shirt (bought at a slightly inflated price so that you are essentially giving to a charity) at the race and if someone wants to talk to you about your faith, you just share your journey with them. I had put this off because I was not sure I wanted the responsibility of strangers looking at me and my imperfectness and saying, "well if that's how Christians act, I don't need to be one." So many people have negative feelings about churches, Christians, and religion because they see bad examples everywhere of what they would call hypocrisy. Acknowledging I have faults, I did not want to be a stumbling block for someone. But when I saw the shirts came in pink and black, I was won over. No, that wasn't what did it, although Marc had already figured out when I said OK that I was going to reach for the pink one. I guess I am imperfect AND predictable.

3 Days to Go

I'm starting to get scared. Monday night I bent over to pick up the trash and my knee popped. Now my knee hurts. I can't believe I could train for 10 weeks and then hurt the knee now by taking out trash! I tried running on it today. It hurt half a mile into an easy run, but seemed to get a little better by the second mile. Let's just hope it holds up.

And of course, I'm sick. Sick!!! UGH! I thought (hoped) it was just allergies from being home, but it's not responding to Zytrec, so today I upped the ante and $30 later, left with cold medicine, cough drops, zinc lozenges, kleenex, and canned soup. The shear cost alone should make me feel better I would hope. :)

I'm not going to quit. I will not give in. I've got 2 full days to get healthy, and I will be healthy. St. Jude's is depending on it! Well, not really; they've already got my money. I'm betting they don't care if I actually run. But I do.

3 Weeks to Go!

It's almost here. It's hard to believe. The good news is that I feel completely ready. Joining Boardtown is a real confidence builder. We run these mid-range distances and the time just flies by. It's amazing. The 11.5 miler - no big deal. Last week's 10 miler - barely broke a sweat (to be fair it was 40 degrees). Even the weekday runs are no problem. This morning's little 8 mile jaunt left my legs a little sore, but posed no real problems, even during the slog up "heartbreak hill" by the Sanderson. So the good news is that I think I'm ready! This is a good thing since Thanksgiving is next week and pumpkin pie can sure get in the way of training. Get ready Memphis! I'm coming! Perhaps I should warn the pie too....

New PR!!!

Today was the Hannah Pote 5K. For the past two years I have run 28:04. At the time of the first one, that was a PR. I had since done 27:58 at Lake Lowndes. Today, however I smashed both of those with a PR setting 26:45!!! It helps that the course is really flat. I tried to run with a costume, but it was too windy to keep the halo on. Marc was back after a few weeks off and he still beat me so I guess everything is back to normal. We both got third in our age groups.

Training is going great. We are meeting a lot of people who have done and are doing Memphis. Everyone says it's a great race. Only a month to go!

Trying Something New

Today was the first long run of the new training season. 7 miles. We are trying a new plan this time, so today was down for 6-7, but yesterday was supposed to be 3-4 and I ran 0. So... it's good that today was 7. Marc is on a 3 week hiatus out seeing the U.S., so left to my own I have just mixed all of it up. Wednesday I went running at 5 PM instead of 5 AM! And I ran with some people from work. I don't like to run with new people because I'm always worried about keeping up. This is why, even though I've known about Boardtown Runners since I started running, I haven't been. But faced with 7 miles in the dark, I decided it was time to give it a try. I know many of the people who are regulars there, but I just didn't want to go. Today was different.

What a great time! My friend Seth and I had a delightful run - not too fast and not too slow. Everyone is really nice and really friendly, and even though there are some extremely fit and fast runners, there are a lot of folks just out for fun (I assume... they were far far ahead). When it's over there's a big pot luck breakfast, which completely obliterates all the good you did for yourself running. What's not to love?

Knees Don't Fail Me Now

Today we made it official and registered for Memphis. The race isn't until Dec 5, but it has a cap so we thought we should get around to registering eventually. Well, thank goodness we did! They were already at 76% capacity a week ago. That's over 6,ooo people already signed up to run 13.1 miles. Isn't that crazy? I don't know how it will be running with that many people. The total limit is 11,500 for full and half. The biggest event I've been in had 1,000 people, and we didn't all start together. The Memphis run has a wave start with groups starting every 2 minutes. You had to enter your expected finish time on the registration so they could put you in a group. I didn't know what to pick, so I decided on 2:10:00. That seems reasonable. As much as I would like to be under 2 hrs, I know better. That's like a 9 min mile. For a 5K sure, but not 13 miles.

Marc and I are still deciding on a training plan. I need to focus on not hurting any knees. I've decided if this happens, I'll just go and run in the 5K, or walk the 5K - whichever is more appropriate. I hate to waste $60, although I guess it's not "wasted" per se since it is a charity run for St. Jude's.

This weekend is the Bark in the Park 5K. It's a fundraiser for the Oktibbeha County Humane Society. We have signed up to run. First 5K of the fall. Hopefully the humidity will be down and the rain will be gone. Running these last few times has been miserable and slow. It makes me wonder how I can do 14 and then not be able to run 3 just a week later.

Tomorrow I go to Guntersville State Park. I am looking forward to a beautiful morning run on a trail! I hear the views are spectacular.

And Then I Saw the Zebras

Today was Tupelo. 10 weeks of training, and then it was here. I didn't do as well as I would have hoped, but I had a good time for most of the time, and really that is all that matters. I'll never win, so it's really just a personal accomplishment type thing.

And now a recap of memories:

Mile 1: It's already been a mile and I feel good. Time is about right.
Mile 2: Well, I've already cried. Good that I got that out of the way. "All Around Me" came on the mp3 player and I just got all emotional looking at the beautiful cloudy sky, the trees in the distance, the smell of morning, etc. Sure, it's dark, but dark morning is a very peaceful time. And it was just a beautiful moment.
Mile 3: Hey, little dog. Look at you hiding under the tree. So calm. Amazing. (Later find out calm dog tried to bite Marc).
Mile 4: Time to try my sportbeans. Fishing them out of their hiding place goes great, opening them goes great. Oh no, I dump half the bag into my hand. Guess I'll just eat them.
Mile 4.5: That might have been stupid. I mean, that was a lot of beans and I don't even know how my stomach will do with 1 bean.
Mile 6: Beans are bad. OMG, I want to die. How can it only be mile 6?!
Mile 7: OK, I have to walk. This side cramp is killing me. Stupid, stupid, stupid beans.
Mile 8: Lord, please take away the pain.
Mile 9.5: I get an expected surge at the water station when a guy picking up cups smiles at me and I say "thank you for volunteering" and he says "thank you for running." I'm running easy and super happy. I'm giving shout outs to everyone I pass on the road. I'm just happy happy happy.
Mile 11: Yes, I'll take 3 cups of gatorade. Normally I hate orange, but this is the most amazing thing I've ever tasted.
Mile 12: How can my gatorade already be gone? I just filled up.
Mile 13: Woot! A mile to go!
Mile 13.5: Stupid race organizers. Why can't they have a normal half marathon? I'd already be done by now.
Mile 13.8: See people drinking cold gatorade and smiling on the side of the road, already finished. I am soooo jealous. Tell them that. They offer me their gatorade. I don't want their pity gatorade. I am almost done after all.
Mile 14: When did this road get so hilly? I know it wasn't this hilly last time, and why is this building so far away? If I don't see the parking lot soon I think I will die.
Mile 14.2: It's finally over. Everything hurts, but I made it. yea God!

On the way back to the hotel (which I make Marc drive to) we see zebras. I think I'm hallucinating for a minute. Then I remember the Tupelo Buffalo Park. Ah, the zebras are real. Whew.

Over 12 hours later, everything on my body hurts and is chaffed. I woke up from a nap only to roll over and feel the pain. In my sleep I've forgotten that I was sore. But now I remember. It wasn't just a dream.

And now it's time for a well-deserved treat. Only 3 months til Memphis!! ha. It never ends.

Sucky Run

I can only hope that next weekend goes better than this weekend. For a short 6 mile run, it seemed to drag on forever. It seemed like it was going to be a cool morning, but that quickly faded. It was just extremely humid. I can also report that I officially do not like these shorts. I saw people wearing the shorts all over town as a I ran. They appeared to be quite happy in theirs. Meanwhile, I have to stop every 2 miles and grease my thighs up with more aquaphor. At least the shorts have a pocket! The socks were fine, but I don't know that they lived up to all the hype. They felt like socks. They were comfortable, but I can't say I felt like my free range toes helped me run any better. They sure are cute though.

Taper Week is Coming

It's hard to believe, but next weekend is it. Where did the time go? The good news is that my knee appears to have made a full recovery!

I can't believe that next Sunday I will be able to run 14 miles, but I've done it before. It seems like such a lofty goal. This weekend's short long run (sounds crazy when I state it like that) of 6 miles is going to be the testing ground for my exciting new toe socks and shorts. Everyone goes on and on about how great these injinji socks are because they keep your toes separated and cut down on blisters. They also apparently give your toes freedom to move around, so your toebox feels more comfortable. They feel kind of weird just trying them on. I will have to run in them for the miracles to occur I guess. I also bought some of those Nike Tempo shorts that I see almost everyone in. Given my thigh friction issues, I may be inviting disaster. So if you see me on the side of the road with my shorts on fire and gloves on my feet, this should explain. And please pull over and put me out. Thanks!

4 Weeks to Go!

It's hard to believe, but in a month Tupelo will be here. This week has been frustrating as Marc has done all our workouts while I have piddled along on my busted knee. The good news is that after a week of babying my knee seems to be working. It doesn't seem as sore when I sit on the couch at night. Sometimes it would just feel uncomfortable and I would just keep moving it around to find a good position for it, but now I'm not having to do that, even after Saturday's long run. Hopefully I'm on the road to recovery!

Unfortunatley we were not able to sign up for the Lake Lowndes Duathlon. It just didn't seem smart to push my knee through 4 hard miles of running and 13 miles of biking if I didn't have to. And the Du wasn't the point of all this training, so we just let it go. I guess now we're freed up to do that 12 mile long run.... oh joy.

Wobbly in the Knees

Things were going great, but it appears my knee may derail this Tupelo train. It's been fussy of late, so Marc and I have made some compromises on the workouts. Hopefully by babying the knee a little, it will respond by not being testy. This is how my Tupelo dreams went down in 2007, so I don't want to repeat that. I have learned one thing though - register late. It's worth the extra $10 to not pay $40 for an event I can't compete in.

Running at the Refuge is great fun. I don't know where all the traffic came from Saturday, but it felt like we were on Whitfield with the way folks were blowing by us (and this wasn't even on the paved road!).

Last week we also had some major drama on the interval run. It was raining, so we moved our show inside. Two empty treadmills upstairs seemed inviting. We started to notice that the gentleman seated by the water fountain looked pretty rough, and he was. He was actually dead. He died in front of us while we ran. It was hard to deal with at first, but I know that it was simply his time and if we were meant to stop it, God would have allowed us to. Rest in peace Frank.

Refuge Run

The weather here is fab-u-lous! And that is a good thing because otherwise, the 10 miler on Sat. might have been brutal. But good luck smiled upon us, and it was a nice 60 degrees Sat. morning. In July?! Can you believe it?! The run itself could not have gone better. For a change of scenery we went out to Noxubee and Marc had charted us a course. It was beautiful just being out in the trees running on dirt roads. It was almost like Oklahoma, only with trees.

It's hard to believe it's been 3 weeks already. 7 more to go! I think it is going very well. This week is relatively easy compared to last week, so it will be a nice little break. After this week though, well, it's all uphill.

Spinning

I have often wondering if spinning was for me. I know now it is not. Given the shortage of equipment at the gym (see previous rant) we encountered a problem with procuring bikes on Wednesday and we thought, "well, these spin bikes are available. How bad can it be?" Right away it was a frustrating experience. All the adjustments to the seat, the handlebars, the resistance. And the screens! Lawd! I had to fill out a survey just to get the bike to start. I felt like I was sliding off the seat the whole time. It turns out I was! My seat was at about a 45 degree tilt when I got off of it. Another adjustment or a broken seat? Hard to say. Halfway through the ride, my bike restarted. I had to fill out all those questions over. I was desperate for the time to be over. I could not wait to get off that bike. In summary, spinning was the most genitalia numbing experience I've ever had on a bike. I never want to go to the real class. And I don't think the bike really meant it when it said I was "doing great".

Tupelo Training is Starting!

Saturday is the deadline for the other triathlon. Between the deaths in both our families, I don't think Marc or I will be ready. So... we've set our sights on Tupelo. They do a 14.2 mile and a full marathon on Labor Day weekend every year. I've paid to be in it 3 times. I've actually run it once. Years 1 and 3 being taken out by hurricane Katrina and tendonitis, respectively.

We picked an 8 week plan, so it started on Monday. Accordingly, I got my new running shoes last week. I really love Asics Nimbus, so that is what I bought. This is my 4th pair of Nimbus'. Of course, my first pair is still my favorite, but they're too shot to run in. I will never understand why when the new versions come out, the price of the old versions doesn't plummet (for example, they're on the Nimbus 11s now, and they are $125, but the 10s are still that at many stores). There is a great store in IL called Body and Sole that sells Asics online. I typically use them to get the best deal.

Today was the first run in the new shoes. They did great. I however did not. It was sprint day. I paid for all my food sins in triplicate. Hopefully this will be a little reminder to keep me on the straight and narrow, and away from the cookies. Or I will just get used to feeling sick...

And Now A Rant

It has been great to be back in the gym. Day 8 of Jillian's workout is pretty brutal. All of her circuits tend to end with some kind of intense aerobic burst of activity. Often this involves sprinting on a treadmill or running at a pretty steep incline. One particular activity which counts as a full circuit is a 5-minute drill of 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off at a pretty high speed. The Sanderson Center is convenient in that it's located on campus, but quite frankly the situation with their treadmills is pretty dire. They have 5 treadmills, 2 of which do not go above 5 mph, and of the remaining 3, 1 has a broken hydraulic so it will not raise. This leaves 2 treadmills. Awesome, there are only 2 of us right? Well, no. Began rant:

If you're just going to walk, then either walk on the stupid track upstairs or use one of the treadmills that goes 5 mph or less. Or how about this - walk outside. You know, nature's treadmill. You don't need the fancy treadmills. Leave those for people who want to run! Is it this hard?

And for what people pay to use the Sanderson I would assume they could afford to buy a couple treadmills! I am told most of their money goes to overhead. Well, I'm sorry, you don't need 4 people to sit and drink coffee to welcome people to the gym. You don't need 3 trainers to socialize behind a desk. You don't need 2 lifeguards to sleep while 1 watches for drowning victims. You don't need 4 people to sit in a membership office and watch videos on youtube. I realize these are student jobs, but maybe hire some engineering majors who can at least fix the equipment when it breaks.

End rant.

The Pros and Cons of Swimming Caps

I was so excited to get the fancy silicon swim cap. After months of having my hair yanked by the latex one, its sleek and silky glide action was most welcome. I have discovered that this creates a problem of its own. The silicon cap doesn't stay on like the latex one. It slips up as the swim goes on. I can't stand to have water in my ears. With the latex cap I just pulled it over the ears and we were good. The silicon one refuses to stay in place. It is letting water in my ears. Water in my ears makes me nauseated. And thus, the problem. Nauseated or bald? This is not an easy choice.

Sore, Very Sore

It's been a week and I don't know how I used to do this for weeks on end. Everything on my body hurts, and we didn't even work out today. Tomorrow is the Kim C. Gee 5K. I just hope I'm not too sore to run. My hip flexors are shot. It's hard to lift my legs. This does not bode well for running hills tomorrow, and campus can be very hilly. It's been good getting back into the routine though. It distracts me from life and makes me feel like I'm working towards something. We have three weeks to decide if we want to sign up for the Wet Dog Triathlon in Decauter, AL. I'm going to have to do better than I did this week if I can expect to make it!

Starting Over, Take 2

Last week took a downward turn, so it's really THIS week that we're starting over. I was just kidding about last week. Marc and I also decided that the Race for Grace wasn't going to happen. Not with a month off staring both of us in the face. There are tris up through October though, so there are plenty to pick from. I am just amazed at how much fitness I have lost in a month. Even though I've been running, I still feel like I just can't get enough air to swim more than a lap. I don't really enjoy feeling like this.

Right now the goal is just to get back to where I am ready to do a triathlon. At the moment I would probably just keel over half way into the swim (so it's good in a way that I would be in water, so it wouldn't hurt...although there is the problem of drowning to consider).

Starting Over

Now that I've had a few weeks off, it's time to get back to it. It's amazing how quickly the fitness drops. I didn't know if I would be able to swim more than 5 laps this morning. I looked at the clock and there were still 20 minutes left. Yikes.

Marc and I are deliberating about doing the Race for Grace Tri on the 28th. The deadline for early registration is Sunday. Mostly it depends on if I can find the time to train and Marc can get his back to hold up. The swim isn't much longer, but the bike is 10 miles longer, and that's a pretty big step up.

Results for Soak Up the Sun were finally published. I got 2nd in my group, and 275/366 overall. My times worked out as follows:

Swim 8:17.4
T1 2:48.6 (stupid fight with my shirt cost a lot of time!)
Bike 34:52.2
T2 1:15.6
Run 18:39.1

Total Time 1:05:53.1

And Now it's Over... sigh

What a great time! I enjoyed it, most of the time. During the run I had my doubts for a little while. We got there and it seemed like it would never start. With 400 people starting in 3 second intervals, it's a long time til the start if you're in the last swim group. But then suddenly the line was moving and before I knew it, I was standing on the beach waiting for the official to say go. I didn't really know what to do, so I took off high stepping through the water. All I could think was, "ok, wow, you're really doing this." Despite all those swim lessons, in the end, I swaned the whole course. "The Swan" was what Joey had nicknamed my swim technique whereby I elongated my neck to keep my head out of the water, much like a swan. Everyone around me was swanning, so I figured I would just do it to. I didn't really get passed by anyone, and I wasn't getting left behind, so it didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Before I knew it, the swim was over. The transition could have gone better, but it could have gone a lot worse. I could not get my top on with my wet skin. I did 10 minutes faster on the bike though than I'd planned, so it more than made up for the extra minute of fumbling with my top. AND, someone knocked my bike over on my helmet, and you're not allowed to touch your bike without your helmet on.... a dilemma to be sure.

The run was where I really started to feel tired. With the wave start, it was late by the time I got to the run, and the sun was brutal. I was soooo thankful I had bought a hat the night before.

In the end, I still don't know how I did within my group, but my time was better than I expected. 1:05:53. First place was 1:01:48. So I was not too far off the mark for a newbie!

And of course, the final tally for a day of fun in the sun comes to: $650.85. I do believe it was worth it.

It's HERE!!!!!

It's 5 AM. I'm in the hotel business center. Of course I still have ten minutes to sleep, but who can sleep? I've been up since 4:30. I actually got more sleep than I figured I might. I think I maanged to go to bed around 10:30.

Last night we went to the open swim and the beginners meeting. I thought the water would be really cold. It wasn't as bad as I thought. It had been in the sun all day though. The worst part is definitely not being able to see. I was warned. It wasn't what I expected though. I guess I was picturing hazy scenes like they show you in movies when people are underwater looking for buried treasure. But actually, it's just green. Very green. All you see is green. One woman said it was like swimming in pea soup. I concur. Another woman kind of freaked out I guess over it. She didn't care for the green and it really got to her and she said she had to kind of take a moment to calm herself down. Hopefully my non-panic will power me past some of those people, because my raw swimming ability isn't going to do it.

I'm nervous. Of course I take antacids every morning for the calcium, but I never take them on trips. What a day to be without them! The day I need them for more than their liming ability.

I guess since I have to be up in 3 minutes I should get moving on today. I can do this. Pea soup water here I come. But I have to be honest - if I run into a pea, I might just lose it.

Tapering

It's taper week. Today is was pouring, so we cycled inside instead of doing our planned run. Tomorrow we're sleeping in so we can rest up for the last swim lesson before the big day. This leaves Wednesday for running. After that it's all she wrote.

I have extremely mixed emotions about Saturday. It's exciting that it's almost here, but it's scary because I worry about being ready. It will be a relief to be through, but also sad because we've trained for this day for 12 weeks and then it will just be over.

I am looking forward to lifting the cookie moratorium, but also scared about maintaining control. I wonder if I should even start. It's also a very scary thing.

4 more days. Then it's here. Yikes!

Final Clothing Preparations

I have put this off too long, but with a week to go, it's time to make sure my intended choices will work. We tried out the tri shorts on Monday, but I still need to try out the top. I decided to go ahead and get a bra to go under it for extra support. I was mostly worried about finding something that dried quickly. I decided to go with the Nike DryFit line after looking at lots of bras and finding them to either be lacking in support, too cottony, or too padded (talk about holding onto some water). I also decided to get something to wear over the tri top in case I experienced chaffing or chill once I came out of the water and tried riding and running in a wet top. I debated the options and finally decided on the UnderArmour heat gear. They sure do run small! I usually wear a M t-shirt; had to buy an XL in the UA!

Of course that needs added to the total. I'll be happy to get this over with so I can stop spending so much money! With my two purchases, totaling $50.71, the new total is: $607.70. I figured I'd eventually break the $600 mark. Good thing there's only a week left!

I also decided while I was wearing the outfit, and taking pictures, to take an "after" pic to see if there was any discernible different. I'm not convinced.

Two Weeks to Go!

Wow. I can't believe this is the last week of training. Yikes. This morning we did our last brick before the big day. I decided it was time to try out the TriKini shorts to see if I could ride and run in them. A little bit of getting used to, but it worked out. Our ride got cut a little short by a seat snafu. I had tried moving it up to adjust the height and apparently I didn't get it good and tight, so the first big bump and I was going down. By the time we got to the house to get the pliers, my knees felt like they were up to my eyeballs when I peddled. Needless to say, I can't let that happen on race day, so I'm contemplating drilling a hole through the spoke and putting a bolt through it so the seat will not go lower, tight or not.

Also had a snafu last Friday. I had ordered the "spare" swim cap "just in case", all that language. Marc had said that he doubted you could tear them up after I stated when I ordered it that I always felt like I was about to. Well, it turns out you can. Friday I went to put it on and ripped it into two pieces. And then I announced to myself and everyone around that I guessed I would go without that then as I put it back in my bag. Opps. Good thing the replacement is already on the way. Of course now I have to get another "replacement". Hopefully this isn't going to be a habit with me.

Today I also made myself a raceday checklist. One of the books we leafed through at Barnes and Noble mentioned a website that allows you to make a free custom checklist for raceday. Now if I just remembered to put everything on the checklist, I guess I'll remember to pack everything I need.

And We're Almost Done

With spending, I mean. We still have 2.5 weeks to go on this tri dealeo. I panicked when I realized that with that little time left, I still have not gotten some of the most basic necessities for the event. These include 2 towels for the transition area and an extra pair of goggles (just in case). I mentioned the towels to Marc thinking surely he'd share my urgency. No. He already HAS his towels. Yikes!

So today I went back to my supplier, SwimOutlet, and got hooked up with the last few swim items on the list. The books we read said to get some crazy towels so you can easily spot your area (which is often demarcated by your towels). This being the case I got a crazy tie-dyed towel. I also bought a chammy towel (in pink, of course). Now I will know how my car feels (well, not MY car; it goes through the car wash).

Now all I need are a few things for the run portion, and I am set. I just can't believe it's almost here. Has it really been almost 10 weeks?

And now the new total: $556.99

Swimming Lessons

Marc and I are really reaping the benefits of lessons. I finally got around to getting some pictures of us with Steven. Steven is a trainer at the HealthPlex that we pay to work with us as a swim coach. It has completely been worth the money.

Tonight we started working on backstroke. Front crawl is going OK, but we both get tired too easily, so Steven says that by alternating we can still work the same muscles and build up endurance. We just don't have to fight the breathing as much on our backs.

Brick #3

Today's brick went great. No locked up bikes today! Of course I still struggle peddling up the hills. I can only hope that the triathlon is just a straight downhill ride... but I somehow doubt this is the case. It was a beautiful morning though. A bit nippy at first but very sunny. The best news is the run though. We finally remembered to time it. So today we posted a 16:50! This is good news because it feels like we're running at about a 12 min pace. The legs, they just don't move.

Only 3 weeks to go. I'm 5 weeks clean now. That would have seemed impossible 6 weeks ago. And yesterday we had a church potluck and the amount of sugar on the dessert table was just overwhelming. Of course someone brought rice krispy treats. This of course is a fatgirl favorite, so it was hard to watch people around me happily munching on theirs. But I ate my fruit; thought about smiting.

I Turned Left!

Ok, well, I didn't turn so much as breathe, but I just love that Zoolander movie. Anyway, swimming is going good. The breathing is the issue. I am getting to where breathing on the right side is pretty automatic, but the left side... I will almost drown trying to do the left. I am always just so tired. So then someone made a suggestion that somehow never occurred to me. I was talking about my "drills", and by that I mean the order in which I do repetitive tasks in the pool. I always do stretching first, then stroke work without breathing, then I start with the right side, then the left, then alternating. By the time I get to left, I am already tired, so my friend says, "well, why don't you just start with left next time." Yeah, I'm a Ph.D. student... that doesn't always mean I think like one I guess. Or maybe I do... since I hate left so much, I just put it off. So today I tried out this new method of left, then right. Turns out it works! I did left just fine. And since I'm so much better at right, the fact that I was tired didn't slow me down. Woo hoo, no water guzzling for this chica today.

Brick #2

This morning we tried the brick again. It looked a little bleak at first because my bike was locked in the garage. Two tries with a butter knife and I was in. I should probably tell Katie and Travis to get that lock replaced because I didn't even know what I was doing. Or perhaps I am just that good and am only now discovering my hidden talent for B&E. Once that was out of the way, things went fine. I am still pretty iffy at this biking thing, but we managed to ride and run the full distances today. The running seemed to get a little easier. The ride went so bad I needed the victory. And there was a funny moment this morning too. My slick riding shorts didn't grab onto my pants very well, so half way into the run I discovered my pants were down past my rear. I know that's the style and all, but I wasn't pulling the look off.

4 Weeks to Go!

It's hard to believe, but there's only a month to go. Today was the Old Cotton Mill 5K. It's a run they have every year in Starkville. It's very hilly. Today it was raining so that was even more challenging. Marc and I didn't do as well as we would have liked, but oh well. It took a long time to walk from the truck and we discussed that we could have ridden our bikes and turned it into a brick... but then we thought not.

Registered? Yes! Ready? Maybe!

Yesterday was the cut off for early registration for our chosen tri. As this is already a pricey endeavor, it's good to save the $5. Plus, now we're committed in a whole new way. It is kind of scary because I think Marc and I are both realizing that you can't stop and hug the wall on the open lake, so we have to be able to swim in more than 25 yd. chunks. I think we can do it though. We need to spend the next month building up swimming endurance though.

Now that I've registered. Time to check the total again. Also need to add in some more costs from our swim lessons. The old total was $440.00. Registration was $45, and swim lessons add another $40. A new total of $525.00. It seems crazy that it has cost this much. At least the next one will be cheaper! Here that - the next one. I think I'm hooked.

She's a Brick (pause) House

Today we did our first brick. We have been meaning to start these on the weekends, but have just found other things to do on weekends like 5Ks, and well, sleeping. So today was the day. We started by riding around the neighborhood twice. That went OK. It was our first trip out on our bikes with our new helmets. So we did our laps, then we ditched the bikes and decided to run for 20 min.

I only managed to make it by telling myself it was only for 20 minutes. I don't know how those Ironman people do it. I assume that after a set amount of miles your legs finally give up the fight and start to cooperate. It is apparently at some point after 2 miles though, because this didn't happen for me this morning. I'm not sure if you do the bricks so that you can train yourself to get loose while you run or if you do the bricks so you can just get used to running with rubber band legs. Perhaps I'll know better in 5 weeks.

Overall, I thought we were going to be able to take this thing, but now that I've tried the brick, I see we have a long way to go. I hope there's time.

Week Off

It being Easter week, I went home to see the family, but not before another swim lesson. Marc and I are getting better. Even our trainer thinks so. Although it's not as if he's going to say we're getting worse; what would that say about him? After the swim lesson I packed up my stuff to head home to Oklahoma. It was a long drive on Tuesday, but it's always worth it.

There's no pool at home, and I didn't bring my bike. I didn't pay $50 to have it cleaned, only to ride it on sand roads. What I love about running at home though (when the weather is nice anyway) is the solitude and easy feel of running in the country. On my two six-mile loops I just relax and look at the beautiful scenery. On the first run I saw about 7 deer cross the road during mile 2. Deer are everywhere at home though, so this is nothing new. Just today driving back to MS I saw 10 deer, and 1 pheasant. It's near a wildlife refuge, so there tend to be frequent sightings. Consequently, I run in bright yellow to keep from getting shot. The only drawback to country running, besides bulls and snakes.

I am also proud to report that after tomorrow, I am three weeks "sober". Even during the holiday season I have resisted Easter brownies, dump cake, and Cadbury eggs. Yea God!

And More Expenses

Swimming is getting to be great fun. Fun comes at a price though. Marc and I are still doing our lessons, and they are well worth the money. It just adds to the expense. I also had to get another swimming suit because we are doing so much swimming that one is not enough. Fortunately, work took me to Gulfport this week, and there's an Academy Sports there.

So let's take our previous total of $362.56. Add $40.00 to it for swimming lessons, and an additional $37.44 for my cool new red Nike swimsuit (now with extra skin showing) and the new total is: $440.00.

Seven Weeks to Go

It's hard to believe the way time is flying by. And yet, here we are. I guess we'll be ready. It doesn't seem that daunting at the moment. I'm sure I'll get more nervous the closer it gets. Right now it seems like no big deal.

Swim lessons have given Marc and I a lot to work on in the pool. It has actually made swimming kind of fun for both of us. We do our drills and it seems like time just flies by. I am trying hard to ween myself off the old trusty nose clip. I'm getting better, but I know that my face is scrunched up like mad and I can't release a nice stream of air. It comes in big glugs. It can only get better.

I made it all week with no cookies. Today my officemate even brought me a special cookie... and it looked and smelled amazing. But I said no. Then I went to a meeting where cookies were also served. I said no again. I guess I'm at like 87% to go on this. Every day is just one day closer to the triathlon and closer to what I'm sure can only be described as a cookie eating orgy.

Too Tired to Move

Marc and I decided to sign up for swim lessons. We found out that we could just hire a trainer basically and get personalized swim lessons. Marc has been going for a few weeks, but this was the first week I joined him. For an hour we took turns swimming laps at the Wellness Center while Steven (our coach) watched us and made suggestions about what we should be doing differently. To summarize, we could be doing EVERYTHING differently. I feel like I need a list to carry with me while I swim. There's so much to remember. Number 1 of course is just not to drown! Needless to say, now I can see I have a LOT of time to spend at the pool. Looks like I need another swimming suit. Increasing costs here we come.

So Long Old Friends....

So this is day 4 of the cookie moratorium. So far, so good. After what can only be described as a feeding frenzy last week I realized it was time to say goodbye to my old friends, the cookies. At lifegroup we talked about addictions and how you just have to rely on God that he is stronger than your will and your addiction. So... every day God helps me avoid the melty warm goodness that is my evil overlord. Perhaps that sounds dramatic, but it works for me. I think about eating the cookie and I think about being smited like those Old Testament folks, and I leave the cookie alone. Of course it's day 4. By day 10 I might feel like a little smiting never hurt anyone.

In other news.... I'm inside the 8 week bubble now. Only 7 weeks to Tri!

Got My Butt Kicked

Today Jillian got the best of me. Of all the horrible exercises she has asked me to do, today I discovered the absolute worst ones. I thought that the pike crunches were the worst, but I was wrong. I know it's a rough day when both Marc and I are cheating the form just to finish. I don't think I've ever been so happy to go swim, because that meant it was over.

Down at the pool though I ended up next to one of Starkville's own Ironman Triathletes. We do not swim in similar fashions. She is graceful and fluid and fast, and oh, like 8 or 9 months pregnant. Still somehow I'm the one who seems to be unbalanced in the water. She only lapped me like a million times. But she had a bag of all sorts of fins and paddles and floaties. Those probably gave her an edge. Note to self: spend more money.

Finally Safe

I've been riding on and off since college. I've never owned a helmet. Triathlons insist on a helmet if you're even touching your bike, so it was time to go buy one. The local bike shop hooked me up with a Specialized Air Force 3.

Of course this added to the cost of the tri. The new total is $362.56. This includes $42.80 for the helmet, and an additional $48.15 to have my bike tuned up and cleaned.

First 5K of the Season

Despite rainy weather and low turnout, Marc and I did the St. Pat's 5K at Lake Lowndes. It was warmer than expected and the rain quit long enough for the run. The roads were wet though so it was hard to keep my feet dry. I took BG just to see what she'd have to say. Well, she was pretty unhappy. I ran the whole run in the anaerobic range. It felt like it too. But I set a new PR for the 5K. Marc and I got 1st in our age groups too.

Big Green Goes for a Run

So I let my HRM, which I've started calling "Big Green" control the run. I started calling it Big Green because it was very pushy and it reminded me of a Stephen King novel, in which a man is kind of at the whim of his house, which he calls "Big Pink", but my HRM is green. So anyway, we went. We ran 6 miles because I needed to blow off some nervous energy and because 3 miles just wasn't enough and it was a loop. It was frustrating at times because I felt like I was always having to walk to keep BG happy. I sprinted the last half mile just to feel like I was doing something. It was a beautiful morning. Warm. The sun came up on lap 2, and it was just a very peaceful run. Especially since I got to walk all the time. Today BG I and I went on a bike ride. She is less pushy about the bike, so we had a nice time.

TriKini

Well it's here. It fits, and it fits well enough to take a picture. I am not sure the top will hold the girls in place during the jog, but a sports bra won't be that bad underneath it if it's the right material.

Why They Say to Bring Your Credit Card

I have read in the books that you can really spend some money on this thing called the Tri. So today I decided (foolishly) to add up to cost so I can see if this was all really worth it. Of course, I am still not done spending, but I decided I was at least at the halfway point on gear, so I would do a check. I should probably have let this slide, just like my coffee bill.

But now I know, so:

Triathlon books - $25.33
Swim gear installment 1 - $17.04
Gym bag to hold swim gear - $37.45
Tri suit (on sale!) - $39.92
Biking shorts - $41.92
Heart Rate Monitor - $109.95

For a grand total of - $271.61.... now that's a lot of coffee.

Heart Rate Training Blunders

So it didn't all go as planned this morning. Eric Harr says you should train in the 60-70% zone. For years now I've been running on a treadmill and have gotten to where I enjoy running at about 6.2 mph for a "cruising speed". The HRM had other plans. It decided that I was going to run at closer to 5.0 mph. It actually didn't fuss much when I walked at 3.5 mph. I could not understand why it was "better" for me to slug along at a 12 min. pace. Extensive reading on the internet yielded that working out at lower intensities burns more fat. It seems kind of counter-intuitive, but the rationale is that it takes oxygen to burn fat effciently, and when you're operating at high levels, you go into an anaerobic state and the oxygen isn't there for fat burning. I want to fry all the fat possible, but I also like to feel like I'm working out. Today I didn't feel that. It's going to take some adjustment. The HRM works great though. The little heart blinks lovingly at me while I run. It just yielded some very unexpected findings.

Heart Rate Monitor is Here!

It was delivered to the house today. So far I have tried making sense of all the menus. It has a lot of features... all of them very complicated. For a while it appeared I was flatlining, but I managed to get it to register a heartbeat after some gentle coaxing. Tomorrow we go on the maiden voyage!! Unless of course I get to the gym and can't work it (always a possibility).

Week 3 Comes, Bringing New Gear

Two weeks down, a lot to go. Today is the start of week 3. So far, so good. Of course, lots of gear still to go as well. I made a list of everything I still needed, but was trying to piece it together a little bit at a time.

I had been shopping for a heart rate monitor for a week or so. Every book I have looked at stresses the importance of a HRM. They come in a variety of types and price ranges. I started out looking at the lowest level Polar models (FS1, FS2), but somehow ended up buying the middle range model (F6). I decided to buy it after comparing it to the F4 and determining that I wanted the added convenience of the coded signal the F6 offered over the F4. I am thinking in a triathlon situation, with all those folks around, there is likely to be a lot of cross talk. Also, if Marc get a HRM, we are always going to be close enough for interference I imagine. It took 4 tries, and a call to customer service, but I got one ordered from Heart Rate Monitors USA. They have free overnight shipping, which appealed to me. I ordered it on Friday afternoon though, so it is coming today. I can't wait, but I am nervous about being able to operate it correctly.

I also identified a need for a new gym bag. My little pink backpack doesn't hold enough stuff to bring work clothes and swimming stuff at the same time. I've had the little backpack since I moved to Starkville, so I had gotten plenty of use out of it. I wanted to get a bag I could actually look at and examine the size of prior to buying. The only place in town to shop was Hibbett's. They have a limited selection, but of the 4 choices, I settled on the Nike Varsity Girl duffle. It's pink, of course, but I really like it. Today it did great, and fit everything just fine.

That was supposed to be it. On the list of "still needs" was another swimming suit and something to race in. I was looking at swimming suits, but ended up finding something to wear for the actual race. I am not thrilled about wearing spandex in daylight in front of other people. I know it's necessary though. I enjoyed the tip from Slow Fat Triathlete to start by wearing it in the house, then outside at night, then finally outside in the daylight. I may have to use this method. I ordered a TriKini from SkirtSports. It is pink, as I have apparently adopted a theme. I hope that it works. It was on super sale, so if it doesn't work out, then I guess it won't be a big loss. Maybe when it comes, I'll eventually be brave enough not only to wear it, but to take a pic.

I tried out my new swim cap today. Having hurt my thumb, pulling it on was quite a chore. I popped myself pretty good in the face. I had to look at others to figure out what to do about the ears. It worked great for keeping water out of them. It made awful gurgling noises when it was out of place though. I was surprised it didn't keep my hair completely dry, but I guess that's going to happen with ears.

Running Outside

The weather has been just a smidge nicer. I've been able to run outside. Running outside is the most glorious feeling. Today a storm was coming in so it was really dark and ominous. I got home just in time. It was pouring by the time I got out of the shower. I am so happy I went though because there is just such a happy glow you get from getting out and exercising. There's also a happy glow from tomorrow being rest day. :)

I was swimming!

Today I actually felt like I might have been swimming for like a whole lap. I was just gliding through the water. But that feeling was fleeting. The anti-fog spray appears to have worked. I had my doubts at first, but after a dip in the water, they cleared right up. My training book recommended Speedo, but it had bad reviews on SwimOutlet, so I bought the Tyr brand, which had good recommendations.

Also had my first massage ever today. It was nice. An hour just flies by when you're that relaxed. This could become addictive.

Gear Arrives!!

I got all of my gear on Monday. It was very exciting. The weather is still too cold to go riding outside however, so it looks like my new Pearl Izumi bike shorts with extra cool padding will just have to sit in the corner and wait.

I also got my swimming accessories. So now I have a swim cap. I thought it would protect my hair from the chlorine, but it looks like it's going to really tear up my hair by being rough with it. I guess we will just see.

Marc is back from GA, so I had my workout buddy back. He's been out for a while now with illness and travel. It was just a wonderful morning yesterday, so I did something unlike me, and went for a run, alone, outside of the neighborhood. It was a glorious run. I am sooo happy I suffered through the cold (35 with the wind chill) and trudged on. It wasn't a chore at all. It was sooo much nicer than the treadmill.

I'm exhausted, but tomorrow is my massage, so I trudge on....

Overload

I ate WAY too much this weekend. I guess it was just like the tight spring coming undone. I know that this is going to make training hard.

I finished one of my triathlon books - Slow Fat Triathlete. I am the slow fat triathlete. I started another one, and it tells me about how this weight will just shear off. I hope that's true. Cookies add up.

Marc is out of town, so I'm on my own for Mon and Tue. It will be hard to motivate myself. I'm really tired these days because of the prelims. It's important not to let the training slide over it I know. I just feel discouraged right now. I'll make it though. Week 2 here I come.

Swimming Day 2

So I took the goggles. I put them on. Had to redo the straps. Apparently more hair or a bigger head is plaguing me now. I managed to attempt 3 laps with them... then I was done. I don't know how other people do it. They look so calm and effortless in their movements. I look like a one-armed turtle or something.

I did find out I can use flippies in the pool though, so someone has some shopping to do!

Worn Out!

It was a bad idea to train and take prelims at the same time. I can already tell. I highly recommend Jillian Michael's book, "Making the Cut" however. The workouts are kicking my butt and I already took a test which declared me "in shape." I can't imagine if I was out of shape.

The good news is that my gear from Backcountry and SwimOutlet has shipped. I can't wait for it to arrive!

Swimming tomorrow. Maybe I'll even take the goggles.

Shopping for Gear

Today's swimming trip highlighted how much gear I am really missing, just for the swimming portion. When I bought my first goggles, I bought them from an on-line store called SwimOutlet. Their website is slow and seems to not load well sometimes, but they do have a good selection of basic products and reasonable shipping fees.

On today's shopping spree (if you could call it a spree with as little as I spent), I picked up a case for my goggles (impulse buy - saw a girl with one this morning and realized it would be handy), anti-fog spray, and a swim cap. All the guides are telling me the spray and the cap are a must. My first goggles were listed as anti-fog, but this has not been my experience with them. I have read you can use spit, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I am going to try the spray and the spit both and see which one is more reliable. For $2 for the spray, I'm not out much if the spit is just as effective.

I have seem some, but not all sources suggesting a second pair of goggles. I have put this on the wish list with another case for them, flippers, and a new gym bag. Trying to haul all the gear plus clothes to the gym really put the backpack to the test. I've had the packback almost 5 years; it wouldn't hurt to upgrade.

First Day

The first day went OK. We rode the flat stationary bike for 20 minutes. Then we swam for 20 minutes. I did 10 laps, which is 500 yards. So it appears I can swim the required distance, just not very fast. This is good news!

The Day Before

Tomorrow is the official start of triathlon training. Marc and I still have to iron out a plan, but tomorrow we swim and bike for lack of a firm routine. We will sit down later and hammer it out, but there isn't time before 6 A,M tomorrow.

Looks like this is going to require me to purchase some new gear. I haven't got a full list, but I know I need cushy-bottom shorts for the bike. I bought my first pair tonight from Backcountry. I do love that store. I also need to get a bike overhaul, but that is next week's project.

We did a fitness review so we could start. At this point I am 23% body fat. Hopefully this will go down through this process, but if it doesn't happen, I won't consider it a failure.

Guess it's time to get to bed. Tomorrow is the first day of what is going to be a long process. Wish me luck!