workout partner wanted

my main objective with triathlon has always been to find like minded and ideally like fitness level folks to ride and swim with.  i'm NOT big on chatting during a run (mainly because of lack strength and coordination to give either my all simultaneously) not that there's anything wrong with socializing, i just feel for me a workout should be mostly workout with a little socializing thrown in not the other way around. 

during TNT training last year i met a woman in my general vicinity location wise.  she was a total newbie in every sense of the word and i kinda took her under my wing .  sometimes i'd workout a bit earlier on my own to be sure i got whatever my goal was that day and then we'd meet up for whatever we had planned .  turns out swimming is our best activity because while we're there for moral support i don't feel like i have to talk or walk or double back as often like i would need to if we ran or rode together.


we haven't seen each other in a few months, but keeping contact via FB.  i called her today and just spent several minutes trying to nail her down to a swim.  she told me about a beach she wants to check out...i say "cool, let's plan on swimming" to which she replies "i want to just check it out, i don't know how deep it is...blah blah blah"  so, since we've had successful swims at Lake Anza, i suggest we meet there instead  because while i'm interested in visiting, my time is limited and i'm more interested in working out.  it takes us so long to reconcile our schedules and when we finally can hook up i've been annoyed when it turns into more of a get together versus a workout. 

after hanging up i feel a bit off about things because i had to push her a bit to commit....something i have to do on a regular basis with the patients i work with.  the last thing i need is to feel like a facilitator/cheerleader on my free time.  i'm far from hardcore.  i'm seriously slow and i've been dropped plenty of times from group rides but i workout and try to be present .  walk breaks are fine, but when it turns into a 1/4 mile yack fest it's stops being a workout for me.

i know she's not the right workout partner for me but for now she's all i got.  hopefully i'll connect with some folks in triclub at the end of the month. i'm still on the fence about actually racing but i love the cross-training aspects of triathlon and maybe i'll find a kindred sole or two that i wont have to "work" to workout with!

Life is a Beach

after yesterday mornings craptastic hike...M was just waking when i got home and was less enthusiastic about yoga...me too. the day was so nice it seemed a shame to stay inside  so instead we packed a few snacks and the pooch and we headed to Kehoe Beach, a dog friendly beach near Tomales State Park.
M and i have are best bonding time on long drives, she's so funny and growing up so fast. 

We parked on the side of the rode and hiked abut a 1/4 mile to the beach.  along the way Brandy spotted a snake, which surprisingly spooked the hell out of M....i didn't get a good look at it but it had a cool bright yellow stripe down it's back.

The surf was pretty intense with undertows and SHARKS known to prowl around. it's an on-leash park but we saw allot of dogs off....Brandy however remained on leash because she has selective obedience. plus the fact that she has this thing about attacking the water, crashing waves are especially appealing..she can't swim but she'll bark and bite at the water, which has in the past resulted in other unpleasant behavior i won't go into..but here's a hint, remember that beach scene in "Marley and Me"...yeah, like that.    so as we approached the beach i let M set up  while Brandy proceeded to drag me down the coastline.  the surf was really moving and we both got drenched.

it was a gorgeous day to be on the beach yesterday. the sun around 3pm wasn't too intense and spray of the ocean  felt good on our skin.we saw some really cute dogs too.  Tip: if your in a funk go to a dog friendly place your mood will soften every time. i meant to take pictures with my phone but forgot it in the car but no matter it wasn't about picture taking but being in the moment with my two favorite girls.

Suck it up Buttercup

my mind is flip flopping at the moment.  catching up on a few blogs, the morning went from wanting to grab the kiddo and the car keys and hightail it to the mountains or maybe the beach...needless to say M was NOT INTERESTED AT ALL....she's all hunkered down under her covers...mommmm go away!

then i considered grabbing the dog and going for a hike at Redwood, or maybe Strawberry....haven't thrown that one out entirely....then i thought about swimming and the lake anza statement i made the other day...i'm hoping a friend will be free to go with me as of yet i haven't heard back...fine by me cause it will allow me to put it off longer...not that i have any trouble doing that anyways...

then i started picking up around the house and T woke up and i complained to him for awhile about woes of being an assistant....oops, i digress....where was i!  ah yes swimming,  maybe i'd  go to the Y instead but M wants to go to Yoga later and do i want to go to the Y twice.  M seems to want to go more often and so i've attempted to be more available when she does which means setting my personal agenda/goals aside and supporting her budding interest in working out...that sounded better in my head..now it just looks like another lame excuse, the Y is 2 miles away and parking is FREE!

so back to the hike with the dog....there was a time i OWNED the east bay trails...i was never fast but boy i could go long....right now i'm struggling with the FACT that i'm nowhere close to my previous fitness level...and i've been avoiding the trails because ....i don't even know...it's stupid.

OK, i need to stop belly aching get my ass up and running or hiking or swimming or something.

i ended up taking Brandy to Strawberry.

Brandy is a bit of handful and needs to be on-leash for most of the time.   I let her off for while once i tired her out on the big hill that connects the lower and upper sections.  she was panting and frothing like crazy but wouldn't drink when i offered.  we hiked to the bench that over looks the university and still she wouldn't drink...weird for all the huffing and puffing.

the hike was bittersweet.  instead of appreciating the beauty all around all i could think of was how NOT ready i am to run up here.  i avoided eye contact with any runner i came upon and i because it was hot and i wasn't running i wore my sandals  with vibram soles and ended up with hot spots on both toe-balls.

getting back into the swing of things ain't going to be easy.

definitely worth it but definitely not easy.

well today got all kinds of better

all week i thought i was working on monday but then i found out at the end of the day that the therapy dept. was light staffed.  woohoo!  not sure how i misunderstood, when my boss asked if i could take the memorial day holiday i could've sworn it was so i could work the monday after the 4th of July. 

after KFOGs Kaboom show the berkeley marina fireworks kinda pales...but yay i get to stay up late for them and there's a good chance alcohol will be involved.

i tried to go for a wee run before picking M up from BART.....i parked nearby the lot and started to run when suddenly i needed to use the bathroom...damn.  i hightailed it back to the car , on the way i realized that i haven't walked Brandy in a few days and there's a dog park close to BART, so i wee'd grabbed the leash which instantly got Brandy's attention we got to the park and she chased the ball a few times before we had to go get M....lots of false starts here you notice?

so now were off to the Y as M is wanting to workout there...i'd still rather run outside but at this rate i'm not sure what's going to happen.

so i found a TM near a window so it sort've felt outdoors and covered 3 miles in a little over 31 mins.  M and i stretched and i checked in at the front desk and so far 13 people are signed up for triclub that's set to start in a couple of weeks ...2 more needed to close the deal.  

That's right, I said it.

i hate swimming. just like i hate math. i know with persistence both have improved . but i will never be great at either because when i take a close hard look at what it will take i'm less than committed. i'm no stranger to hard work but damn.....at 47 do i really need the aggravation.  i've got work for that.  it just stresses me out and makes life hard on anyone within a 10 foot radius.

breath

i'm really just annoyed by the recent pool experience....i suck in the water and i just need a lane to myself to work things out without the aggravation of obnoxious swimmers.  maybe i'll drag myself to anza this weekend...

Lafayete Resevoir

M's camp is in Lafayette. After dropping her off i headed over to the reservoir for a run.  it has been ages since i ran there ...like pre-Garmin times .  i always suspected it was around 3 miles. i was close 2.78 to be exact. for all my complaining about slow running after work my pace wasn't all that much faster at 11:09. now granted this run turned out to be a bit more rolly than i remembered and it was warm and windy.  i haven't been doing much in the way of hills yet so it was a perfect run in that respect. i lean towards the cheapo end of things and usually scope out somewhere else to park to avoid an entrance fee.  alas there wasn't any convenient free parking so i forked over my last 6 bucks.  to tell the truth it was worth it, the park is very clean and there are comfort stations all along the trail.  too bad i was only good for one loop.
i walked a little bit after wards and stretched near my car before leaving.  i stayed up way too late reading blogs and sorting through old files last night which ironically was both inspiring and tiring.  12:30 am is way too late for me to be up but apparently i've got a thing for running when i'm tired.


Athleta Chi is a new favorite of mine.  i decided to go for a swim after reading a couple articles there.  given the sunny weather it was no surprise that there were no less than 3 people in all six lanes at one point or another.  in the last lane there were 2 folks who were really slow...and wobbling all over the place the second lane had 2 folks, the guy was definitely not slow.  i tried to make eye contact with him as i did with the female before entering the lane but he didn't look up...i guess he complained to the life guard because she got my attention and asked that i let all the people know before entering because he didn't want to crash into me.  i just smiled and nodded but thought to myself maybe he had some responsibility to be a little more observant of his surroundings instead of never looking up.  whatever.  i got out after 15 or so minutes and sat on the deck a minute when another man asked me if i was done i said " yes, go for it..but let everyone know before you go in"  when he got the guys attention and let him know he wanted to circle swim, the guy rather sarcastically said, "that's what i've been doing!"  so much for pool etiquette.  i can't stand assholes like him and it seems every pool has one.

On second thought

I tried a new name for my blog for a little while but i started to miss the old title.  guess i'm getting sentimental in my old age....i turned 47 this past sunday.

so the after work running is starting to take hold.  i'm getting off the fence, negotiating less and just getting it done.  can't say i'm loving it quite yet and an 11:30 pace ain't nothing to write home about but hey i'm out there getting shit done.  one slow ass mile at a time.

saturday M agreed to go to yoga with me and despite being a bit bored at times said she'd like to make it a regular thing...go figure.