Aside from some tenderness along the tips of my toes, a little tightness in my right calf and some grouchy knees, yesterday's 10 miler left me feeling tired but mentally ready for next Sunday.
I have to admit to also feeling a litttle burned-out. I'm looking forward to returning to a few less strenuous activities this fall. This has been an awesome summer and I have no intention of letting the hard earned new skills go stale. Swimming, riding and running for the pure joy and pleasure of it will take the place of "focused" training (haha...well focused for me anyways!)
Signs of fall are emerging. I've noticed quite a few spider webs and the air at night feels a little crisper. Back to school shopping and registering M for fall activities. My thoughts these days revolve around cooking more in my new kitchen, working on M's quilt and curling up with a good book.
Triathlon has consumned me this summer. I discovered a whole new group of bloggers and have been inspired and amazed by these dedicated men and woman. While I look forward to slowing things down this fall, for many of these folks who have trained for one or more years, September brings the ultimate challenge on the ultimate of playing fields: The Iron Man
I doubt that I will ever aspire to such a feat....
I am curious though.
I am curious to see if my swimming will continue to improve and if I will ever conquer open water . I'm curious to see if I will ever figure the bike out, if I will move from a pure kinesthetic relationship with it and develope a more technical understanding of it 's parts. Finally, I'm curious to see if I will ever have the desire to run a marathon, curious to know if I have what it takes.
Fall has alway's symbolized growth and new learning. These lofty thoughts come as a bit of shock really, even as I embrace the idea of change and growth. I will proceed with caution............ and curiosity.
Curiosity never killed this cat, it only made her roar.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Tri4Fun #2 Race Report
Well , the fun began at 4:45 when I woke up. I slept in! I had some coffee, checked my blog and waited for Tracy to arrive and she did so, promptly at 5:30 am. We parked on the road than rode our bikes to the transition area, weaving through cars and people. The weather was cooler this morning with more overcast than when we were here last in June for Tri4Fun #1.
After racking our bikes we registered and got marked ......1079 felt like a good solid bib number.
We set up near a huge Weeping Willow and for good measure I attached a bright yellow scarf to a branch of a smaller tree next to it. All I had to do was look at the Willow tree and then I could sight the scarf directly in front of it....a few feet from our bikes. A few other folks benefitted from that bright scarf too!
The Swim
Standing on the beach, I was surprised that I didn't feel nervous, not like last time. Today I was more confident, like I wasn't myself..... I'm not generally a calm person, not a Nervous Nelly necessarily but I'm usually more amped. This morning looking out on the lake, I noticed a little tully fog off in the distance and I was completely at ease....the lazy fog seemed to have a calming affect on me. Fear was replaced with confidence and I was ready for the task at hand.
We headed out with the last wave and I settled into a nice freestyle stroke. Rounded the first buoy and got a few more yards before I started to tire. I just rolled over and backfloated for a bit, my breathing was a little out of control so I switched to breaststroke for awhile......I then alternated between free and breast the rest of the way. Because I was freestyling more and my sighting isn't so good I got off track a little and needed a little verbal cueing to get back in line. The water felt really good, not too cold at all. As I exited the water I looked at my watch and I shaved a minute off my swim! 14:00 minutes woohoo!
T1
Spotted the Willow tree, tracked the scarf and I was at my transition area instantly. I think I was there for about 2 minutes then I was off on the bike.
The Bike
Clipped in and ready to ride. The hill when you first exit the park was a mere bump in the rode! Once on the main drag I made up for lost time gradually passing folks along the way. There was alot of gravel in spots, construction and detours galore. A couple of us had to stop as the police managed the traffic. Yeah, I had to come to a COMPLETE STOP and WAIT for what felt like forever. The officer was nice and thanked us for our patience......dang this was gonna cost me..or so I thought! There were a few crashes and folks seemed to be bottlenecking quite alot due to the detours.
The gears were dropping like crazy as I sped along the flats, I picked a rabbit and followed her a good while. When we got the only real hill on the course I got up out of my seat and jammed up the hill, my rabbit was impressed, as I could hear her say to a fellow cyclist, "man, she's so strong on the hills"........Needless to say, I was grinning ear to ear like a big o' dork! It was all good cruising into.....
T2
I got to my transition area without delay and to my surprise (haha) the place was a mess! As I looked around I began to realize that my right shoe was missing! No shit! They were both there when I set up and now it wasn't. I looked around a little more than spotted a right shoe ...another similiar looking Asic...Tracy had come and gone already and I suspected she was the culprit! A woman standing near by seemed more nervous about it than me and watched me as I began to pull on the "surprise shoe" she asked me "your gonna wear it?" I abrubtly replied " If the shoe fits!" Incredibly enough it did! Can you believe my luck! Dicking around for my shoe apparently gave my legs a little rest cuz when I started to run I didn't have the usual jello legs...to be honest , I was a little worried about this because I hadn't done any real tough bricks in preparation for this race. Taking it slow it was time for ........
The Run
It's all about the run baby. I was tired (the only nutrition I had was a GO LEAN energy bar 2 hours earlier) the cooler temps this time around were a welcomed relief. I had meant to Gu in T2 but got distracted looking for my shoe! I was slow and steady and paced myself pretty well I thought, having had a better sense of the route this time around. Again I picked a rabbit and kept her within sight. I never hydrated during the run and passed her once while she did, she then caught up and passed me again. I hung back and let her enjoy her short lived victory. As we approached the last 1/4 mile or so I picked up my pace and passed her for a strong finish. Crowds love it when you finish strong, there were lots hoots and hollers. Yeah, I'm a ham!
Total Time 01:27:00.........the same as last time!
In all of the excitement I lost track of time. I'm not sure how long the ride or run took but in the end despite the delay in T2 and during the traffic copping I ended up with the same time as before! If it weren't for those delays I mighta shaved off more time!
Tracy got back before me, cuz when I got back to the transition area her stuff was there but she wasn't . I found her at the finish line still looking for me! Kinda like when Mia missed me coming in from the bike the last time. We returned to our gear and she glanced down and commented, " Hey, I've got those same shoes".....I then said, "No, we've got the same shoes.", she hadn't realized the mishap, until that point!! Cracking up ensued........After I took pictures of our mismatched shoes, we turned in our bib stubs and hung out for the raffle.....I got a Snickers Marathon Bar from a kid who didn't want his and some lip balm from the Team In Training tent.
I'm so glad I found this sport! I'm starting to make new friends and getting comfortable with my competitive side. I'm definitely making progress in the lake and I told Tracy I'd go for a swim in the bay as she prepares for the Mermaid Tri in Santa Cruz in a month.
Coming Up Next: Redwood Regional Park 20K next Sunday.
It's a wonderful life indeed!
After racking our bikes we registered and got marked ......1079 felt like a good solid bib number.
We set up near a huge Weeping Willow and for good measure I attached a bright yellow scarf to a branch of a smaller tree next to it. All I had to do was look at the Willow tree and then I could sight the scarf directly in front of it....a few feet from our bikes. A few other folks benefitted from that bright scarf too!
The Swim
Standing on the beach, I was surprised that I didn't feel nervous, not like last time. Today I was more confident, like I wasn't myself..... I'm not generally a calm person, not a Nervous Nelly necessarily but I'm usually more amped. This morning looking out on the lake, I noticed a little tully fog off in the distance and I was completely at ease....the lazy fog seemed to have a calming affect on me. Fear was replaced with confidence and I was ready for the task at hand.
We headed out with the last wave and I settled into a nice freestyle stroke. Rounded the first buoy and got a few more yards before I started to tire. I just rolled over and backfloated for a bit, my breathing was a little out of control so I switched to breaststroke for awhile......I then alternated between free and breast the rest of the way. Because I was freestyling more and my sighting isn't so good I got off track a little and needed a little verbal cueing to get back in line. The water felt really good, not too cold at all. As I exited the water I looked at my watch and I shaved a minute off my swim! 14:00 minutes woohoo!
T1
Spotted the Willow tree, tracked the scarf and I was at my transition area instantly. I think I was there for about 2 minutes then I was off on the bike.
The Bike
Clipped in and ready to ride. The hill when you first exit the park was a mere bump in the rode! Once on the main drag I made up for lost time gradually passing folks along the way. There was alot of gravel in spots, construction and detours galore. A couple of us had to stop as the police managed the traffic. Yeah, I had to come to a COMPLETE STOP and WAIT for what felt like forever. The officer was nice and thanked us for our patience......dang this was gonna cost me..or so I thought! There were a few crashes and folks seemed to be bottlenecking quite alot due to the detours.
The gears were dropping like crazy as I sped along the flats, I picked a rabbit and followed her a good while. When we got the only real hill on the course I got up out of my seat and jammed up the hill, my rabbit was impressed, as I could hear her say to a fellow cyclist, "man, she's so strong on the hills"........Needless to say, I was grinning ear to ear like a big o' dork! It was all good cruising into.....
T2
I got to my transition area without delay and to my surprise (haha) the place was a mess! As I looked around I began to realize that my right shoe was missing! No shit! They were both there when I set up and now it wasn't. I looked around a little more than spotted a right shoe ...another similiar looking Asic...Tracy had come and gone already and I suspected she was the culprit! A woman standing near by seemed more nervous about it than me and watched me as I began to pull on the "surprise shoe" she asked me "your gonna wear it?" I abrubtly replied " If the shoe fits!" Incredibly enough it did! Can you believe my luck! Dicking around for my shoe apparently gave my legs a little rest cuz when I started to run I didn't have the usual jello legs...to be honest , I was a little worried about this because I hadn't done any real tough bricks in preparation for this race. Taking it slow it was time for ........
The Run
It's all about the run baby. I was tired (the only nutrition I had was a GO LEAN energy bar 2 hours earlier) the cooler temps this time around were a welcomed relief. I had meant to Gu in T2 but got distracted looking for my shoe! I was slow and steady and paced myself pretty well I thought, having had a better sense of the route this time around. Again I picked a rabbit and kept her within sight. I never hydrated during the run and passed her once while she did, she then caught up and passed me again. I hung back and let her enjoy her short lived victory. As we approached the last 1/4 mile or so I picked up my pace and passed her for a strong finish. Crowds love it when you finish strong, there were lots hoots and hollers. Yeah, I'm a ham!
Total Time 01:27:00.........the same as last time!
In all of the excitement I lost track of time. I'm not sure how long the ride or run took but in the end despite the delay in T2 and during the traffic copping I ended up with the same time as before! If it weren't for those delays I mighta shaved off more time!
Tracy got back before me, cuz when I got back to the transition area her stuff was there but she wasn't . I found her at the finish line still looking for me! Kinda like when Mia missed me coming in from the bike the last time. We returned to our gear and she glanced down and commented, " Hey, I've got those same shoes".....I then said, "No, we've got the same shoes.", she hadn't realized the mishap, until that point!! Cracking up ensued........After I took pictures of our mismatched shoes, we turned in our bib stubs and hung out for the raffle.....I got a Snickers Marathon Bar from a kid who didn't want his and some lip balm from the Team In Training tent.
I'm so glad I found this sport! I'm starting to make new friends and getting comfortable with my competitive side. I'm definitely making progress in the lake and I told Tracy I'd go for a swim in the bay as she prepares for the Mermaid Tri in Santa Cruz in a month.
Coming Up Next: Redwood Regional Park 20K next Sunday.
It's a wonderful life indeed!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Finding My Inner Fish
This has been a VERY good week for the swim.
The mother-freakin-ass-kickin swim....
I tell ya, up until quite recently it's been All Work and No Play....
Stroke, Stroke, Stroke, Breathe...Gasp....Cough...Sputter...Repeat
.......Just get-er-done, ya know?
I think I'm starting to actually LIKE swimming.....in the pool at least....I'm so much more relaxed and the breathing isn't a struggle anymore....I'm still slow as molasses....but I'm relaxed and I take fewer/shorter breaks and I'm enjoying myself...not rushing to get it over with. I'm soooooooooo glad I didn't give up (God and anyone who's ever read this blog knows I wanted to about a hundred times!!!) This feeling of accomplishment is very satisfying.
Tonight, Tracy had to bail due to some work emergency....so I swam by myself at the El Cerritto pool, before I even got out of the locker room, my goggles broke! Snapped right at the nose bridge. (crap! but better tonight than Saturday!) I swam about 300 yards before my eyes started to burn....I then zipped over to Big 5 for another pair with thoughts of returning to pool to swim a little more...and well, you know....it was too hard to get back in for only 15 minutes before the pool closed.
Swimming without goggles wouldn't of been so bad if my eyes hadn't started to burn, visibility was a little blurry but I could see well enough. I shared a lane with 2 other guy's, both were faster than me but they just swam around me and didn't appear perturbed at all. The majority of people I meet exercising are usually pretty nice, fortunately the jerks are few and far between.
I ran for twenty minutes this morning just to stay loose. Tomorrow M and T are meeting friends in San Francisco to watch the Giants vs Dodgers.....I'm gonna stay home and get my gear ready, eat a good dinner and get to bed early as Tracy will be picking me up Saturday at 5:30 am.
The mother-freakin-ass-kickin swim....
I tell ya, up until quite recently it's been All Work and No Play....
Stroke, Stroke, Stroke, Breathe...Gasp....Cough...Sputter...Repeat
.......Just get-er-done, ya know?
I think I'm starting to actually LIKE swimming.....in the pool at least....I'm so much more relaxed and the breathing isn't a struggle anymore....I'm still slow as molasses....but I'm relaxed and I take fewer/shorter breaks and I'm enjoying myself...not rushing to get it over with. I'm soooooooooo glad I didn't give up (God and anyone who's ever read this blog knows I wanted to about a hundred times!!!) This feeling of accomplishment is very satisfying.
Tonight, Tracy had to bail due to some work emergency....so I swam by myself at the El Cerritto pool, before I even got out of the locker room, my goggles broke! Snapped right at the nose bridge. (crap! but better tonight than Saturday!) I swam about 300 yards before my eyes started to burn....I then zipped over to Big 5 for another pair with thoughts of returning to pool to swim a little more...and well, you know....it was too hard to get back in for only 15 minutes before the pool closed.
Swimming without goggles wouldn't of been so bad if my eyes hadn't started to burn, visibility was a little blurry but I could see well enough. I shared a lane with 2 other guy's, both were faster than me but they just swam around me and didn't appear perturbed at all. The majority of people I meet exercising are usually pretty nice, fortunately the jerks are few and far between.
I ran for twenty minutes this morning just to stay loose. Tomorrow M and T are meeting friends in San Francisco to watch the Giants vs Dodgers.....I'm gonna stay home and get my gear ready, eat a good dinner and get to bed early as Tracy will be picking me up Saturday at 5:30 am.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Pre Tri4Fun #2
With Tri4fun #2 a mere 4 day's away I'm feeling pretty good....and getting excited. Since getting back from vacation my routine has started to kick in and I have LOVED the past few workouts.......even the not-so-great-ones....the mental training you get out of a crappy workout is invaluable on race day.
This past week I learned that I did not forget to learn how to swim...I'm just slow to warm-up and that I prefer warmer temps. I found a Masters group that gets together 4 dyas a week at a pool near my house. I met the coach last saturday and she was quite nice and I fet at ease with her immediately.
I bit the bullet and got myself a Nano.........after chit chatin with Mia's Erik at Tommy's B-Day Party last weekend...I got the techy bug....I got to thinking that now that I'm running for longer distances and with the inescapable indoor workouts of winter looming on the not-so-distant horizon....that I finally deserved to indulge in some high tech gadgetry.
A side note....it was kinda cool being introduced at the party as Mia's running friend...a few times a mom would ask "who's mom are you?" you know, how you do at kids party's and I would say mom of M, though I know Mia from an on-line running community and that's how our kids met.....Then Mia positively gushed as she explained how I got involved with Triathlon's....that felt very cool . BTW, Mia Goddess is HOT!
I also found a cool hydration belt at See Jane Run for under $40.00. I froze the bottle's and went for a 5 miler on Sunday (after riding to Inspiration Point...... with 15-20 minute transition) I noticed the added weight from the frozen bottles and it tended to shift to the left side no matter how taught I pulled the cinches down...but I got used to it and now it's my new favorite hydration system. The belt has a nifty pouch in the middle for nutrition and I'm pretty sure the Nano will fit nicely.
On the nutrition front, I've been experimenting like crazy. Eating and Not Eating prior to work
outs....and the concensus appears to be I do better on a near empty stomach....taking in liquids as I go. A Gu and sour gummies are a good pick-me-up about 45 minutes into a workout and seem to be enough. It's weird, the peanut butter toast I usually ingest prior to running tends to cause indigestion on run's longer than a hour...weird huh? I've been 80% true to my vitamin and joint supplement use...and Never-Not-Once gave the flax seed a try....it's just sittin in my fridge no doubt rancid as hell....
So, this week will be a keep-loose-week moreso than a taper.... short run today, yoga on weds, swim or run w/Trace thurs and Go Time on Saturday!
This past week I learned that I did not forget to learn how to swim...I'm just slow to warm-up and that I prefer warmer temps. I found a Masters group that gets together 4 dyas a week at a pool near my house. I met the coach last saturday and she was quite nice and I fet at ease with her immediately.
I bit the bullet and got myself a Nano.........after chit chatin with Mia's Erik at Tommy's B-Day Party last weekend...I got the techy bug....I got to thinking that now that I'm running for longer distances and with the inescapable indoor workouts of winter looming on the not-so-distant horizon....that I finally deserved to indulge in some high tech gadgetry.
A side note....it was kinda cool being introduced at the party as Mia's running friend...a few times a mom would ask "who's mom are you?" you know, how you do at kids party's and I would say mom of M, though I know Mia from an on-line running community and that's how our kids met.....Then Mia positively gushed as she explained how I got involved with Triathlon's....that felt very cool . BTW, Mia Goddess is HOT!
I also found a cool hydration belt at See Jane Run for under $40.00. I froze the bottle's and went for a 5 miler on Sunday (after riding to Inspiration Point...... with 15-20 minute transition) I noticed the added weight from the frozen bottles and it tended to shift to the left side no matter how taught I pulled the cinches down...but I got used to it and now it's my new favorite hydration system. The belt has a nifty pouch in the middle for nutrition and I'm pretty sure the Nano will fit nicely.
On the nutrition front, I've been experimenting like crazy. Eating and Not Eating prior to work
outs....and the concensus appears to be I do better on a near empty stomach....taking in liquids as I go. A Gu and sour gummies are a good pick-me-up about 45 minutes into a workout and seem to be enough. It's weird, the peanut butter toast I usually ingest prior to running tends to cause indigestion on run's longer than a hour...weird huh? I've been 80% true to my vitamin and joint supplement use...and Never-Not-Once gave the flax seed a try....it's just sittin in my fridge no doubt rancid as hell....
So, this week will be a keep-loose-week moreso than a taper.... short run today, yoga on weds, swim or run w/Trace thurs and Go Time on Saturday!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
I failed to mention Tuesday's swim at Lake Anza...probably cuz it wasn't anything special. I just wanted to get it over with and didn't make the most of my time there. The day was lovely, the water a little chilly but fine within a few minutes, not too many tykes buzzing around. I swam out to lap area and did 4 lengths....how far is anyones guess....not nearly far enough that I can be sure. I may try to go back today and take my time....rushing through it is never very productive. I still don't like the lake so much, and the sign posted warning swimmer's about a little bug in the water that causes "swimmer's itch" did nothing to endear me to it.
I pulled off a not-so-easy 40 minute run this morning...not bad though considering yesterday's margarita fest. Feeling good about the upcoming races and looking forward to going back to the Y in the Fall once my Strawberry membership expires. I've been watching that new show "Workout" and it's got me thinking about the gym.....now that I've put a good dent in the bodyfat I'm wanting (this is a good sign as I find weight lifting incredibly boring) to focus on strengthening more.
Have a Great Day!
I pulled off a not-so-easy 40 minute run this morning...not bad though considering yesterday's margarita fest. Feeling good about the upcoming races and looking forward to going back to the Y in the Fall once my Strawberry membership expires. I've been watching that new show "Workout" and it's got me thinking about the gym.....now that I've put a good dent in the bodyfat I'm wanting (this is a good sign as I find weight lifting incredibly boring) to focus on strengthening more.
Have a Great Day!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
M and Me
The weather is warmer up again. Kept M home from camp today and we went for a bike ride.
A decent ride with NO MALFUNCTIONS!!! Seriously folks, we have the worst luck it seems with bike rides but today was perfection. She got a little hot and bothered after climbing the hill behind the race track but after a rest break we cruised . Good stuff!
We got home and pretty much loafed around the rest of the day. It felt good to just hang...no agenda no stressing over another missed workout opportunity. It occured to me that SHE'S the reason (not entirely) I'm getting in shape and getting active. I noticed that recently whenever I want her to go swimming it requires LOT's of negotiation. She used to love to go swimming before I actually knew how to swim. I finally sat her down and asked why was it such a hassle to get her to go and she said "because you never play with me anymore!" I was guilty as charged. We go to the pool, she in the general wading area and I head for a lap lane.
As hot as it is today we opted to watch Project Runway and Dog the Bounty Hunter.
We're an eclectic bunch here! Currently she's working on a designer dog collar for Brandy and I'm perfecting my Margarita skills......hey, it's hot!
A decent ride with NO MALFUNCTIONS!!! Seriously folks, we have the worst luck it seems with bike rides but today was perfection. She got a little hot and bothered after climbing the hill behind the race track but after a rest break we cruised . Good stuff!
We got home and pretty much loafed around the rest of the day. It felt good to just hang...no agenda no stressing over another missed workout opportunity. It occured to me that SHE'S the reason (not entirely) I'm getting in shape and getting active. I noticed that recently whenever I want her to go swimming it requires LOT's of negotiation. She used to love to go swimming before I actually knew how to swim. I finally sat her down and asked why was it such a hassle to get her to go and she said "because you never play with me anymore!" I was guilty as charged. We go to the pool, she in the general wading area and I head for a lap lane.
As hot as it is today we opted to watch Project Runway and Dog the Bounty Hunter.
We're an eclectic bunch here! Currently she's working on a designer dog collar for Brandy and I'm perfecting my Margarita skills......hey, it's hot!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Long Run by the Bay
I went for a pretty long run this morning....3 hours long to be exact...I'm not having any luck with gooogle maps and cannot for the life of me figure out how to map routes...ideally 10 and 12 mile loops that lead back to my house. I'm guessing I did at least 10 miles on mostly paved trails. By the time I got to El Cerritto I turned left towards the bay. A portion of the bay trail runs parallel Point Isabel, Brandy's favorite dog park....not so pleasant smelling when your running and breathing hard.
The triclub folk met here once and we ran a 3 mile loop, turning around just before the marina. Today I kept going and discovered Richmond Marina Park. The elements were all in alignment this morning, blue sunny sky, gentle breezes with mild temps in the 70s. Just a great day to be out there. The sun danced on the water and sparkled like tinsle. I was surprised that there weren't more people out and about.
The double strawberry run was 14.7 miles and that took me 3.5 hours. It was really warm and hilly that day. Today's run was flat w/perfect weather and it took me nearly three hours (2:45 mins to be exact) Maybe I went further than 10 miles? I really felt it after this run. Running on concrete paved trails really is tiring. I'd hop over to a dirt trail when it was available but most of the run was on the hard stuff.
It's good to be home.
The triclub folk met here once and we ran a 3 mile loop, turning around just before the marina. Today I kept going and discovered Richmond Marina Park. The elements were all in alignment this morning, blue sunny sky, gentle breezes with mild temps in the 70s. Just a great day to be out there. The sun danced on the water and sparkled like tinsle. I was surprised that there weren't more people out and about.
The double strawberry run was 14.7 miles and that took me 3.5 hours. It was really warm and hilly that day. Today's run was flat w/perfect weather and it took me nearly three hours (2:45 mins to be exact) Maybe I went further than 10 miles? I really felt it after this run. Running on concrete paved trails really is tiring. I'd hop over to a dirt trail when it was available but most of the run was on the hard stuff.
It's good to be home.
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