Wow. Three races down and only two to go and then my 2011 triathlon race season will be over. It seems a little anti-climatic but that may have something to do with my decision to not go to Nationals this year.
It was a difficult decision to make with a lot of different reasons and conditions that are just not ideal. The good news is that Nationals will be held in the same place next year that they are this year - Burlington, Vermont. Right now, the plan is to try again next year and actually save some money so that I can go! I think it will be better to go next year, too, when I actually have a chance of placing top 10 instead of this year, when I would likely place top 25. Ha! Ha!
The next two races are ones I have done before - WIN for KC (sprint) at the end of July and Jackson County ("long course") in August. I had found a race in Iowa to do at the end of August in place of Nationals but then I found out it wasn't USAT sanctioned and I don't know why, but that made me nervous. I haven't done Jackson County in years ... and never the long course, so it will be somewhat new, even though it's basically the KC Tri course.
They aren't glamourous races in exotic destinations, but the goal will be the same - race to build confidence, endurance and speed.
Last week I got a some time off from training. Well, it was really supposed to be a fun week of training but - coincidentally - I had a bunch of social obligations to meet and so it worked out perfectly that I could "skip" some workouts. Tuesday night was a work event, Thursday night was my brother's birthday celebration at the new Livestrong Sporting Park and then Friday was beach volleyball with RDJr. He signed us up for a league that will last most of the summer. At first I wasn't sure about it, but it was a ton of fun and I am really looking forward to Friday nights even more now.
With this bit of down time, I've started to map out my fall training season and even consider races for next year. Crazy? Yes. I will likely do cyclocross again this year through October, take November off, and then get back to base for 2012 in December. Still sticking with short course next year, especially since RDJr. has dropped the IM-bomb a couple of times.
Hope your training and racing is going well and that you have big dreams for the future too!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Set and Met
Yesterday I did a little race in a little town in Oklahoma. It didn't seem so silly when I added the race to my schedule back in November, but the day before we left town, I seriously started to consider not doing the race at all. I mean, who drives six hours to do a teeny-tiny little race with less than a couple hundred people? There are plenty of races here - under a 60 minute drive!!
I still thought that the morning of the race. This is stupid. I drove all this way for a little race. RDJr. (who came along - of course) helped me put it in perspective ... "Do you love this sport? Do you really truly love this sport?" to which I answered "Yes". He then said, "well then it isn't stupid. Anything that makes you happy is not stupid."
He is so wise.
This was my "A" race and my goal was to qualify for USAT AG Nationals. I chose this race because it was a special qualifier. You can qualify at any USAT race, but you have to win your AG, and I'm not quite there yet. At special qualifiers, they take the top 5 AG winners or the top 33%, which ever is greater. THAT, I could do.
The race really was tiny. There were only 46-47 women total. Not in my AG - in total. It was so small that there was one mass start - men and women. When they told us this, we all looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. What can you do? It's not ideal, but ...
It was kinda crazy at first. I had no idea how to position myself. Normally I would be up front in a women's only wave, but today I took the second line and hoped that worked out. The lake was shallow and we ran for a long time before diving in. I remember laughing to myself thinking "this is crazy!!" Good thing I am so good at head-high drill!!! I don't think I put my face in the water until the turn buoy! Just kidding but it was pretty crazy. Oh, and two loops with a beach run!! I actually kind of like that because it breaks up the swim and it broke up the group and gave me some clean water to swim in.
I actually had no idea where I was at in the swim. I saw a couple of pink caps (women) but honestly thought I might be in the top 15 or so. I also started to consider a new career as a duathlete because swimming is just so ... anxiety ridden!! But then I reminded myself that some of my best swims have been where I just chilled out and swim like I was at the pool.
I ran into the worlds smallest transition and out on to the bike. RDJr. was there ...
"Hey babe? Babe?"
"Yeah?"
"You're like 2nd or 3rd woman out of the water!"
"Nooooo"
I couldn't believe it. Surely he was wrong. There is no way! Huh. Maybe I should stick with triathlon after all. My swim time ended up being 26:02, which I think is my best Oly swim to date.
Out on the bike and the course was very flat with winds out of the southwest at about 12-15. This should have been a course that I would really excel at, but I got fatigued really fast. Two loops again for the bike, so I took one gel on the first loop, and another on the second, as well as a full bottle of sport drink with two scoops of carbo pro and some nuun. My legs just felt tired and I started to get worried and down as everyone passed me. I could see the shadow before they passed and each time I prayed it wasn't a female ... but a couple got by me and that made me mad, but really, more sad. What the heck? I am a great cyclist! What gives? I kept the cadence a little higher than usual and hoped it would pay off on the run.
Into T2 and I thought I was at least in the top 10, maybe 8th? I looked at the clock which was at the dismount line and it said 1:43 and I started cursing at myself and calling myself names and just being really mean. Then, as I racked my bike and put on my shoes, I talked out loud and said, "No. We are not going to talk like that today. Only positive thoughts. Stop being so mean to yourself."
And with that, I ran out of T2 and on to the very flat, but very sunny and hot course. Because of the wind, it didn't feel THAT bad ... except when you had the wind at your back and there was no breeze on your face. But those moments were short and I got through them. The first loop (two loops on the run!) was fast and I was surprised at how good I felt. I just kept telling myself to keep it light and loose. On the second lap, I started to struggle. I just wanted to be done already! I started to swear off Oly's and only do sprints from now on. But I made it through by setting little goals along the way - just run to that tree ... now run to that person ... now to that sign. Finally, I crossed the finish line at 2:35:54 and in 7th place overall.
The absolute best, beyond any award, is having RDJr. there at the finish and seeing his beaming face. He was just so happy and that makes me happy, because I did something that made him happy. :)
We thought I had 2nd AG, but I ended up placing 3rd because they did not take out the overall winners from the AG placing. I don't know if that was because this was an AG qualifier and a BOUS qualifier, or if it's just a Oklahoma thing, but it doesn't really matter. I met my goal of qualifying and that was all that mattered.
I know I am still really far from being fast, so I hold on to the fact that with each race, I continue to improve. Even though it is in small ways, the small improvements will make for a big one some day. I have to hold on to that.
Not sure yet if I'm going to race Nationals or not. There is a lot going on in August. But I would like to go. We'll see. :)
I still thought that the morning of the race. This is stupid. I drove all this way for a little race. RDJr. (who came along - of course) helped me put it in perspective ... "Do you love this sport? Do you really truly love this sport?" to which I answered "Yes". He then said, "well then it isn't stupid. Anything that makes you happy is not stupid."
He is so wise.
This was my "A" race and my goal was to qualify for USAT AG Nationals. I chose this race because it was a special qualifier. You can qualify at any USAT race, but you have to win your AG, and I'm not quite there yet. At special qualifiers, they take the top 5 AG winners or the top 33%, which ever is greater. THAT, I could do.
The race really was tiny. There were only 46-47 women total. Not in my AG - in total. It was so small that there was one mass start - men and women. When they told us this, we all looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. What can you do? It's not ideal, but ...
It was kinda crazy at first. I had no idea how to position myself. Normally I would be up front in a women's only wave, but today I took the second line and hoped that worked out. The lake was shallow and we ran for a long time before diving in. I remember laughing to myself thinking "this is crazy!!" Good thing I am so good at head-high drill!!! I don't think I put my face in the water until the turn buoy! Just kidding but it was pretty crazy. Oh, and two loops with a beach run!! I actually kind of like that because it breaks up the swim and it broke up the group and gave me some clean water to swim in.
I actually had no idea where I was at in the swim. I saw a couple of pink caps (women) but honestly thought I might be in the top 15 or so. I also started to consider a new career as a duathlete because swimming is just so ... anxiety ridden!! But then I reminded myself that some of my best swims have been where I just chilled out and swim like I was at the pool.
I ran into the worlds smallest transition and out on to the bike. RDJr. was there ...
"Hey babe? Babe?"
"Yeah?"
"You're like 2nd or 3rd woman out of the water!"
"Nooooo"
I couldn't believe it. Surely he was wrong. There is no way! Huh. Maybe I should stick with triathlon after all. My swim time ended up being 26:02, which I think is my best Oly swim to date.
Out on the bike and the course was very flat with winds out of the southwest at about 12-15. This should have been a course that I would really excel at, but I got fatigued really fast. Two loops again for the bike, so I took one gel on the first loop, and another on the second, as well as a full bottle of sport drink with two scoops of carbo pro and some nuun. My legs just felt tired and I started to get worried and down as everyone passed me. I could see the shadow before they passed and each time I prayed it wasn't a female ... but a couple got by me and that made me mad, but really, more sad. What the heck? I am a great cyclist! What gives? I kept the cadence a little higher than usual and hoped it would pay off on the run.
Into T2 and I thought I was at least in the top 10, maybe 8th? I looked at the clock which was at the dismount line and it said 1:43 and I started cursing at myself and calling myself names and just being really mean. Then, as I racked my bike and put on my shoes, I talked out loud and said, "No. We are not going to talk like that today. Only positive thoughts. Stop being so mean to yourself."
And with that, I ran out of T2 and on to the very flat, but very sunny and hot course. Because of the wind, it didn't feel THAT bad ... except when you had the wind at your back and there was no breeze on your face. But those moments were short and I got through them. The first loop (two loops on the run!) was fast and I was surprised at how good I felt. I just kept telling myself to keep it light and loose. On the second lap, I started to struggle. I just wanted to be done already! I started to swear off Oly's and only do sprints from now on. But I made it through by setting little goals along the way - just run to that tree ... now run to that person ... now to that sign. Finally, I crossed the finish line at 2:35:54 and in 7th place overall.
The absolute best, beyond any award, is having RDJr. there at the finish and seeing his beaming face. He was just so happy and that makes me happy, because I did something that made him happy. :)
We thought I had 2nd AG, but I ended up placing 3rd because they did not take out the overall winners from the AG placing. I don't know if that was because this was an AG qualifier and a BOUS qualifier, or if it's just a Oklahoma thing, but it doesn't really matter. I met my goal of qualifying and that was all that mattered.
I know I am still really far from being fast, so I hold on to the fact that with each race, I continue to improve. Even though it is in small ways, the small improvements will make for a big one some day. I have to hold on to that.
Not sure yet if I'm going to race Nationals or not. There is a lot going on in August. But I would like to go. We'll see. :)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Season Opener
I have been putting off writing this race report because I'm been slammed at work and my brain has just not been there to get the words out on paper, er, screen. Also because I am having trouble wrapping my head around what happened on Sunday. I know it was a sprint race, but it just seemed like such a blur!
I was really nervous going into this race. Mostly because I was psyching myself out. I told myself I was mentally preparing and visualizing my success but honestly, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. My worst fear was that I would show up to the race and get stage fright - I would forget how to swim, bike and run and just stand there pool-side, paralyzed with that race-zombie face I seem to make until someone just shoved me into the pool.
None of that happened though - thank goodness!!
RDJr. came with (of course) and we drove to Columbia, MO which is about two hours away from KC. Picked up my race number, bought an overpriced stick of BodyGlide, and then checked in to our hotel. RDJr. asked me what I wanted for dinner and I said I would just stick with my usual pre-race meal: pasta, red sauce, chicken and broccoli. Boring but it works.
So we headed to charming downtown Columbia where we fought our way through prom dresses and frat boys screaming/soliciting money for cancer research. It was awesome. After dinner, since both RDJr. and I have a sweet tooth, we walked over to the froyo bar. I had a tiny baby cup of chocolate froyo with bananas and almonds - RDJr. made some mad scientist concoction that he later remarked as "interesting" rather than delicious. :)
Back to the hotel and I was so tired. It was only 8 pm. RDJr. was busy studying chemistry and I was not into putting my numbers on my bike or belt but I did it anyway. Just about to turn out the lights and RDJr. asks what time he should set the alarm ... "4:30?" to which his response was, "but transition opens at 5. don't you want to get a good spot?" Okay... 4 AM it is. Ugh.
Why do triathlons have to be so early???
Surprisingly, it was not hard to get out of bed at 4AM and we were eating breakfast by 4:30 and in the car by 4:50 and at the race site by 5:00... and I was ready to go by 5:15! But the race doesn't start until 7:30. HA! HA! Sucker! No, but seriously, I did get the closest rack to bike out that I could possibly get. Until then, RDJr. and I would just shiver in the cold, talking to the handful of people from KC that came to town for the race.
Finally they let us in the pool area around 6:45 - nice and warm! I started to get sick to my stomach as the anticipation built and I tried to focus on thoughts of a blogger friend - Molly. Molly seems like a happy-go-lucky triathlete and while she is competitive, she gives off this aura that she is just doing it for FUN!! Come on, gang! Get happy! (don't kill me, Mols) So I thought about that and it helped. This was just a race - let it go and get over yourself, Flossie.
Time to go! Jump in the water and stroke...stroke...stroke... WHY AM I GOING SO SLOW? I actually thought for a moment that maybe a current in the pool and that was why I WASN'T MOVING!! But then, before I knew it, I was nearing the end of the swim. Gosh! That was FAST but it never felt hard - like as hard as it does when I'm at masters. There was no burning in my lungs or legs - but I was passing people?? Crazy. I tried to push harder but I still never got that "burning" of the lactic acid. Whatever ... oh here's the ladder (that no one was using) and up and out and RUN! RUN! RUN!
... ALL. THE. WAY. to transition which is like, an 1/4 mile from the swim exit. Kid you not. And it was COLD outside but the sun was out so that was good.
I threw the arm warmers on the ground (taking too long to put on!) grabbed the bike and away I went! I actually landed a flying mount on the bike completely by accident. I guess you do enough cross races and it becomes second nature.
The bike went a lot faster than last year. Part of that is my fitness and part of that is all of the fancy-schmancy gear. The hills were so much easier this year and really, compared to Mt. Lemmon, everything is. The results don't show it though. Because of a computer glitch, both T1 and T2 were included in our overall bike time BUT I got my individual results before the computer crashed so I know I went 19.8 mph (over 18.8 last year). Awesome for this hilly course!
I did not see a single female on the bike. Okay, not a single female triathlete (the duathletes were all over the place) and I wondered where I was at. It's always so hard to tell in a TT start.
Anyway, off the bike and on to the run and I saw RDJr. and told him I forgot to start my watch!!! (Oh yeah, came out of the pool and looked down - 00:00:00!) "Don't worry babe, I got ya!" He had started his watch when I jumped in the water and got all my splits! Who does that?? The best BF ever, that's who.
So .... back to the run and legs felt fine despite the mild cramp I got on the last hill coming in. Run, run, run and about mile 1 I see a girl up ahead with a 34 on her leg. I can't tell if her hair is wet (triathlete) but she is wearing a long-sleeve shirt so, maybe a duathlete?? Didn't take any chances and pasted her and put a huge gap on her. That was the last female I saw until 500 feet from the finish when this chick came SCREAMING past me from out of no where. I picked it up when I heard her behind me, then I saw she had a 41. Whew! She was hauling and even my fastest sprint could not respond to the attack.
I crossed the line SMILING (no more zombie-stare) and with a fist-pump even! RDJr. was waiting for me at the finish (BEST BF EVER!) and gave me a big hug. The first thing he told me was my run split which was awesome (for me) and then I asked what my overall time was, which was a whole minute (plus some) slower than last year. Huh. It was windy though. Got my results (what a wonderful invention that receipt-style result is!) and I was listed as 2nd AG!!! Don't get too excited though, this is a TT start. I could fall.
But it never did - I checked four times!!
The girl who took first beat me by SIX minutes! I didn't even see her on course! I saw her at the pool start and then never again. Nothing I could have done would have shaved six minutes off my time ... except fitness and that will come. Perhaps I'll be in that ballpark next year.
Awards didn't start until 11:30! Ugh! And RDJr. had to get back to KC for work as soon as possible. But, because he is the best BF ever (did I say that already?) he told me it was more important for me to stand on the podium and he had the best look on his face - so proud. THAT was the best reward - more than anything else.
Looking back, I know I gave it my all and I met my goal of placing top 3 AG. HUGE confidence booster and a great way to start the season.
Next up is KC Tri - Olympic. The water is going to be COLD!! Just like last year. But unlike last year, I will NOT have a cold water freak-out and swim a 2:24 pace. (hides face in shame) NO WAY! I will take cold showers for the next two weeks to get acclimated. I will wear Vaseline on my face so thick I look like a serial killer. (Does that even make sense?) At any rate, I will be prepared.
Of course, big thanks to my coach, my boyfriend and Bike Source for helping to get me race ready. THANK YOU!!
I was really nervous going into this race. Mostly because I was psyching myself out. I told myself I was mentally preparing and visualizing my success but honestly, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. My worst fear was that I would show up to the race and get stage fright - I would forget how to swim, bike and run and just stand there pool-side, paralyzed with that race-zombie face I seem to make until someone just shoved me into the pool.
None of that happened though - thank goodness!!
RDJr. came with (of course) and we drove to Columbia, MO which is about two hours away from KC. Picked up my race number, bought an overpriced stick of BodyGlide, and then checked in to our hotel. RDJr. asked me what I wanted for dinner and I said I would just stick with my usual pre-race meal: pasta, red sauce, chicken and broccoli. Boring but it works.
So we headed to charming downtown Columbia where we fought our way through prom dresses and frat boys screaming/soliciting money for cancer research. It was awesome. After dinner, since both RDJr. and I have a sweet tooth, we walked over to the froyo bar. I had a tiny baby cup of chocolate froyo with bananas and almonds - RDJr. made some mad scientist concoction that he later remarked as "interesting" rather than delicious. :)
Back to the hotel and I was so tired. It was only 8 pm. RDJr. was busy studying chemistry and I was not into putting my numbers on my bike or belt but I did it anyway. Just about to turn out the lights and RDJr. asks what time he should set the alarm ... "4:30?" to which his response was, "but transition opens at 5. don't you want to get a good spot?" Okay... 4 AM it is. Ugh.
Why do triathlons have to be so early???
Surprisingly, it was not hard to get out of bed at 4AM and we were eating breakfast by 4:30 and in the car by 4:50 and at the race site by 5:00... and I was ready to go by 5:15! But the race doesn't start until 7:30. HA! HA! Sucker! No, but seriously, I did get the closest rack to bike out that I could possibly get. Until then, RDJr. and I would just shiver in the cold, talking to the handful of people from KC that came to town for the race.
Finally they let us in the pool area around 6:45 - nice and warm! I started to get sick to my stomach as the anticipation built and I tried to focus on thoughts of a blogger friend - Molly. Molly seems like a happy-go-lucky triathlete and while she is competitive, she gives off this aura that she is just doing it for FUN!! Come on, gang! Get happy! (don't kill me, Mols) So I thought about that and it helped. This was just a race - let it go and get over yourself, Flossie.
Time to go! Jump in the water and stroke...stroke...stroke... WHY AM I GOING SO SLOW? I actually thought for a moment that maybe a current in the pool and that was why I WASN'T MOVING!! But then, before I knew it, I was nearing the end of the swim. Gosh! That was FAST but it never felt hard - like as hard as it does when I'm at masters. There was no burning in my lungs or legs - but I was passing people?? Crazy. I tried to push harder but I still never got that "burning" of the lactic acid. Whatever ... oh here's the ladder (that no one was using) and up and out and RUN! RUN! RUN!
... ALL. THE. WAY. to transition which is like, an 1/4 mile from the swim exit. Kid you not. And it was COLD outside but the sun was out so that was good.
I threw the arm warmers on the ground (taking too long to put on!) grabbed the bike and away I went! I actually landed a flying mount on the bike completely by accident. I guess you do enough cross races and it becomes second nature.
The bike went a lot faster than last year. Part of that is my fitness and part of that is all of the fancy-schmancy gear. The hills were so much easier this year and really, compared to Mt. Lemmon, everything is. The results don't show it though. Because of a computer glitch, both T1 and T2 were included in our overall bike time BUT I got my individual results before the computer crashed so I know I went 19.8 mph (over 18.8 last year). Awesome for this hilly course!
I did not see a single female on the bike. Okay, not a single female triathlete (the duathletes were all over the place) and I wondered where I was at. It's always so hard to tell in a TT start.
Anyway, off the bike and on to the run and I saw RDJr. and told him I forgot to start my watch!!! (Oh yeah, came out of the pool and looked down - 00:00:00!) "Don't worry babe, I got ya!" He had started his watch when I jumped in the water and got all my splits! Who does that?? The best BF ever, that's who.
So .... back to the run and legs felt fine despite the mild cramp I got on the last hill coming in. Run, run, run and about mile 1 I see a girl up ahead with a 34 on her leg. I can't tell if her hair is wet (triathlete) but she is wearing a long-sleeve shirt so, maybe a duathlete?? Didn't take any chances and pasted her and put a huge gap on her. That was the last female I saw until 500 feet from the finish when this chick came SCREAMING past me from out of no where. I picked it up when I heard her behind me, then I saw she had a 41. Whew! She was hauling and even my fastest sprint could not respond to the attack.
I crossed the line SMILING (no more zombie-stare) and with a fist-pump even! RDJr. was waiting for me at the finish (BEST BF EVER!) and gave me a big hug. The first thing he told me was my run split which was awesome (for me) and then I asked what my overall time was, which was a whole minute (plus some) slower than last year. Huh. It was windy though. Got my results (what a wonderful invention that receipt-style result is!) and I was listed as 2nd AG!!! Don't get too excited though, this is a TT start. I could fall.
But it never did - I checked four times!!
The girl who took first beat me by SIX minutes! I didn't even see her on course! I saw her at the pool start and then never again. Nothing I could have done would have shaved six minutes off my time ... except fitness and that will come. Perhaps I'll be in that ballpark next year.
Awards didn't start until 11:30! Ugh! And RDJr. had to get back to KC for work as soon as possible. But, because he is the best BF ever (did I say that already?) he told me it was more important for me to stand on the podium and he had the best look on his face - so proud. THAT was the best reward - more than anything else.
Looking back, I know I gave it my all and I met my goal of placing top 3 AG. HUGE confidence booster and a great way to start the season.
Next up is KC Tri - Olympic. The water is going to be COLD!! Just like last year. But unlike last year, I will NOT have a cold water freak-out and swim a 2:24 pace. (hides face in shame) NO WAY! I will take cold showers for the next two weeks to get acclimated. I will wear Vaseline on my face so thick I look like a serial killer. (Does that even make sense?) At any rate, I will be prepared.
Of course, big thanks to my coach, my boyfriend and Bike Source for helping to get me race ready. THANK YOU!!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Here We GO!
Race season kinda snuck up on me. Wow!
Most of the races I chose this year are races I have done in the past and well ... ones I have done year after year. It's such a huge confidence booster to see how much you have improved on the same course, at the same time of year, year after year (after year, after year).
First on the books was Rock the Parkway 5K. I love that this race starts BLOCKS from my house. Just roll out of bed and run down to the start for warm-up. The weather was MUCH better this year than last year (rain, sleet, COLD) and this year I had the best cheerleaders - RDJr. and B-dog came out to watch. This year, I also PR'd this course by 90 seconds. Not a PR for my 5K race, just a better time for THIS race. You're right - my time is still not fast compared to real runners, but it's getting better and better and I LOVE THAT!!!
Check out my MAGIC shoes! So orange, they'll burn your retinas!
Next up is the Trolley Run (4 mile) - this Sunday in fact. RDJr. and I are doing it together. Fun! Fun! Looking forward to setting yet another PR for this race and hopefully a faster split per/mile than at Rock the Parkway which shouldn't be hard considering that this race is "all downhill".
AND THEN ... two weeks until the first Tri of the season! SO much to do!!! I bought these fancy-schmancy new Zipp wheels but I haven't done anything with them. They are just sitting in a corner of the basement. This is mostly because my training has been inside using the PT wheel and also because I forgot to buy the fancy-schmancy new brake pads that you have to use with the fancy-schmancy new wheels. (It's a racket, I tell you!!)
So ... must get:
- new brake pads
- new computer (to replace the one I lost LAST SPRING at the Auburn TT)
- new goggles (on their way from sunny Tucson, AZ and TriSports.com!)
I also need a tune-up and have the LBS put on the new chain. Oh geez! Will there be enough time to get all of this done before May 30?? Will there be enough money - that is the real question!!
Also toying with the idea of buying an aero helmet ... more for looks than anything else. To go with the wheels, of course. :)
So here we go! I have a race (practically) every other weekend through mid-June. Let the party begin!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Mt. Lemmon!
Last post in the Tucson series. It's been THREE WEEKS and I am still not finished!!! Luckily, I've saved the best for last...
Mt. Lemmon was one of the reasons I wanted to visit Tucson. It just sounded so hard and yet so much fun, I had to try it. I didn't care if it took me all day to get up that stinkin' mountain, I was going to do it, goddamn it!
Since it had been getting warmer and warmer (in the upper 80s, low 90s) we decided to tackle this as early in the morning as possible. The plan was to ride over to the mountain for our warm-up (about 15-16 miles) and then climb 25 miles to Summerhaven (the "top"), have a cookie, then come screaming down the mountain home.
"How long do you think it will take us to get up it?", RDJr. asked.
"Oh, let's say we go 10 mph, I bet two and a half hours." Ignorant me. "We should be home no later than 3 pm today."
Ha! Ha!
Another funny quote:
RDJr.: "So what's your nutrition plan for this ride?"
Me: "A lot."
RDJr.: "What?"
Me: "I'm going to eat a lot."
As in I had no plan. I think by the time he asked me this we were 14 miles into our ride and I had already eaten two bags of GU Chomps and 3 e21s. After he mentioned this, I took things a little slower. I took in one e21 every hour and a only a couple more individual chomps here and there.
We reached the base of the mountain and there was this climb that was STRAIGHT UP. RDJr. said, "this is nothin'! we climb harder hills at home" I love my boyfriend.
At mile 3 ... still smiling!He was right. That first climb was not hard. We took turns pulling - me on the "flat" sections and him on the obvious inclines. Once again, we stopped to take pictures at mile 3 then headed on. At mile 7 or 8, I had a breakdown. It was HOT. I was guzzling water. I was short of breath. Most of all, I was nervous that we would not make it to the top "in time". In time for what??? The plan. We would not be home by 3 pm.
RDJr. sat me down and gave me a good talking to. Screw the plan! If it takes all day, we will get up this thing. If we have to stop every half mile, we will get up this thing!
And so we soldiered on, and on, and on ...
We have to ride UP THERE??? (see that ridge at the very top?yeah, miles 10-18 looked at lot like this)
There were more stops and more whining (from both parties) but we finally made it to the top!!! It was such a great feeling to do something so far outside of our comfort zone and to have finally met the goal. I do not have to tell you that RDJr. was amazing. He said the most motivating things to keep us moving up and up and up.
We cookie'd it up at the Cookie Cabin, refilled our water bottles, and got ready to head back down. Er, I mean, UP! You see, the last three miles before you reach Summerhaven are downhill. So while that means you FINALLY get a break right before you reach the town, you have to CLIMB back out of the town before you can descend the mountain. It seemed like a cruel joke!!
COOKIE CABIN!
Smiling again! Why? We reached our goal AND we are about to ride down the mountain!!RDJr. is bigger than me and his bike weighs about 30-35 lbs (NO JOKE! THAT BIKE IS HEAVY!) so he went down first - SCREAMING down the mountain. I kept him in my sights the whole time, but there were times we had to be going at least 45 mph. I was sitting as far up as I could, lightly breaking and still going 40+!!!
Yep. It's a mountain.
The ride back to town seemed so much easier too. Guess we were climbing false flats before we even reached the mountain base. It was HOT by the time we got back to Tucson - 90+ and we could feel the heat coming off the pavement. We road 85 miles in all.
Home, changed, and walked down to Time (once again) for a little recovery meal. Back to the B&B for showers and a NAP! But I couldn't sleep ... I kept replaying the events of the day over and over in my head.
We had planned to get dressed up and go to a fancy dinner for our last night in town but we were too tired. We wore our nice clothes, but we didn't bother to iron them!! We were a sight! We applied sunblock before we left but both of us got a LOT of sun that day. RDJr. looked like Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer!!! We went back to B Line for dinner and then BACK to Time Market (second time that day) for a pint of Ben and Jerry's that we ate while snuggling on the front porch of our room/inn.
We both did something really challenging and we worked together to reach a goal. Oh sure, we bickered a bit, but we didn't kill each other and if anything, we have more respect for one another now.
On Thursday, our final day in Tucson, we skipped the run in Saguaro East and opted to check out the stores on 4th Ave. and grab a margarita lunch. It was the perfect end to our perfect vacation. We were really sad to leave but remarked that it would be a place we would love to visit again soon!
An Irish Mexican restaurant? No, it was simply St. Patrick's Day.
No caption needed.Monday, March 28, 2011
Mountains and Stars
I can't believe it's been two weeks! Better finish this set of blogs about our vacation already.
So ... on Tuesday, we decided to take it easy and go for a hike in Sabino Canyon. After a great breakfast of course!!
Sabino Canyon is in the northwest part of Tucson and is well known for it's amazing hiking trails. So well known that we got to the park, paid $5 to get in, and THEN we were told that the lot was full and it could be a while before we found a parking spot. Uh, thanks. Luckily it did not take too long (10 minutes maybe) before we scored a spot.
It was 10:30 and already it was really really warm out - maybe low 80s. We brought two bottles of water each (well, we brought four bottles of water, but RDJr. carried them all cause he's awesome) and a bag of Chomps for a two hour hike. We didn't know it would be two hours, but it was just so amazing, we couldn't stop climbing up and up and up!! The views were spectacular!
What do you wear when you go for a hike? RDJr. wears his racing flats...
... and I brought my purse!
See that little red arrow at the top of the mountain? Yeah, we went up there.
After the hike we headed back to home base for lunch and bike maintenance. RDJr.'s front derailleur broke at some point during our ride on Monday, so he rode it over to the LBS while I picked up lunch. We tooks showers and naps and then got ready to head up Kitt Peak.
We made reservations to the national observatory, Kitt Peak, about the same time we booked our flights - back in November. Neither of us are astronomy buffs, but this was one thing, next to climbing Mt. Lemmon, that I was really looking forward to.
It did not disappoint! It was REALLY cool and if you have the opportunity, I highly suggest it!!
Kitt Peak is about 36 miles southwest of Tucson. Funny thing, we actually saw one of the telescopes from over 30 miles away because it is at the top of the mountain and with the sun setting, it made this unusual shape. We weren't sure until we were about 15 miles away, but funny how far the human eye can really see!!
See that little white "nub" at the top? That is what we saw from miles away.
So up, and up, and up we went! Up this crazy steep mountain (in the car) with only a little guard rail to keep us from going over the edge. I am not afraid of heights, but this drive honestly made me a little dizzy at times. I mean, I'm looking out my window and there is NO SHOULDER!! Just a 5,000,000 foot drop!!
We finally get up to the observatory and it was a little cooler - about 65. They had told us to dress warm because part of the program was outside (duh. that's where the stars are). Part of the program included a boxed meal, so we ate our delicious turkey sandwiches while looking over the mountain, then we started the program.
One of the telescopes.
Kitt Peak is does not have the largest telescope, but it has the most. Some of the best universities run them - together, as in share, as in it's really expensive to operate one. We all walked out to view the sun setting, then we watched as Mercury and Venus rose in the sky. We went back inside, learned about star charts and how to use them, got to look at stars through night-time viewing binoculars, and got to look at some pretty cool stuff through the telescope - like a small galaxy, a binary star, a dying star, and even SATURN! Saturn wasn't that cool because the telescope we were looking through wasn't the best one they have, but it was still pretty neat. You could see the rings, but it was small and white and there wasn't any color.
Another telescope.
Anyway ... NERD ALERT! The most interesting thing about being at Kitt Peak at night was that the researchers can't have any sort of white light outside on the mountain because it interferes with their work and our night vision as human beings, so ... when we went to leave at 10 pm that night, we had to drive down the mountain WITHOUT OUR HEADLIGHTS ON!!!
It's not that bad. We still had our parking lights on and there was a slightly full moon and we only had to do that for like a mile, so it wasn't bad. We were sooo exhausted by the time we got back to the B&B. I never slept so soundly in all my life.
So ... on Tuesday, we decided to take it easy and go for a hike in Sabino Canyon. After a great breakfast of course!!
Sabino Canyon is in the northwest part of Tucson and is well known for it's amazing hiking trails. So well known that we got to the park, paid $5 to get in, and THEN we were told that the lot was full and it could be a while before we found a parking spot. Uh, thanks. Luckily it did not take too long (10 minutes maybe) before we scored a spot.
It was 10:30 and already it was really really warm out - maybe low 80s. We brought two bottles of water each (well, we brought four bottles of water, but RDJr. carried them all cause he's awesome) and a bag of Chomps for a two hour hike. We didn't know it would be two hours, but it was just so amazing, we couldn't stop climbing up and up and up!! The views were spectacular!
What do you wear when you go for a hike? RDJr. wears his racing flats...
... and I brought my purse!
See that little red arrow at the top of the mountain? Yeah, we went up there.After the hike we headed back to home base for lunch and bike maintenance. RDJr.'s front derailleur broke at some point during our ride on Monday, so he rode it over to the LBS while I picked up lunch. We tooks showers and naps and then got ready to head up Kitt Peak.
We made reservations to the national observatory, Kitt Peak, about the same time we booked our flights - back in November. Neither of us are astronomy buffs, but this was one thing, next to climbing Mt. Lemmon, that I was really looking forward to.
It did not disappoint! It was REALLY cool and if you have the opportunity, I highly suggest it!!
Kitt Peak is about 36 miles southwest of Tucson. Funny thing, we actually saw one of the telescopes from over 30 miles away because it is at the top of the mountain and with the sun setting, it made this unusual shape. We weren't sure until we were about 15 miles away, but funny how far the human eye can really see!!
See that little white "nub" at the top? That is what we saw from miles away.So up, and up, and up we went! Up this crazy steep mountain (in the car) with only a little guard rail to keep us from going over the edge. I am not afraid of heights, but this drive honestly made me a little dizzy at times. I mean, I'm looking out my window and there is NO SHOULDER!! Just a 5,000,000 foot drop!!
We finally get up to the observatory and it was a little cooler - about 65. They had told us to dress warm because part of the program was outside (duh. that's where the stars are). Part of the program included a boxed meal, so we ate our delicious turkey sandwiches while looking over the mountain, then we started the program.
One of the telescopes.Kitt Peak is does not have the largest telescope, but it has the most. Some of the best universities run them - together, as in share, as in it's really expensive to operate one. We all walked out to view the sun setting, then we watched as Mercury and Venus rose in the sky. We went back inside, learned about star charts and how to use them, got to look at stars through night-time viewing binoculars, and got to look at some pretty cool stuff through the telescope - like a small galaxy, a binary star, a dying star, and even SATURN! Saturn wasn't that cool because the telescope we were looking through wasn't the best one they have, but it was still pretty neat. You could see the rings, but it was small and white and there wasn't any color.
Another telescope.Anyway ... NERD ALERT! The most interesting thing about being at Kitt Peak at night was that the researchers can't have any sort of white light outside on the mountain because it interferes with their work and our night vision as human beings, so ... when we went to leave at 10 pm that night, we had to drive down the mountain WITHOUT OUR HEADLIGHTS ON!!!
It's not that bad. We still had our parking lights on and there was a slightly full moon and we only had to do that for like a mile, so it wasn't bad. We were sooo exhausted by the time we got back to the B&B. I never slept so soundly in all my life.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Train-cation
One of the reasons I wanted to take this vacation in the first place, was to have something to look forward to - something to motivate my training - during the doldrums of winter. It worked! Knowing that we were going to be heading to a warm destination to relax AND train (oxymoron?) helped tremendously with the mental outlook.
So while Sunday was about vacation, Monday was about training.
We started the day off with a trip to TriSports - WAIT - we started the day off with a good breakfast:
I shop at TriSports.com a lot for all the hard to find items that I can't get here at the LBS or LRS (local running store) like CarboPro, Sable Water Optics goggles, and new flavors of GU Chomps and they have great customer service! While at TS, we met Gail Leveque who took the time to show us a map of all the great rides and running trails Tucson has to offer. The best thing we walked out of that store with was the cycling map of Tucson - we used that sucker several times a day for the rest of our trip. Gail was SO HELPFUL! We also purchased a pull buoy (left mine at home) and a TON of nutrition and a couple of souvenir water bottles.
After TriSports, it was time for masters with the U of A team in the AMAZING OUTDOOR U of A pool!! I saw that Monday was their "free and pull day" and thought that would be a better choice than Tuesday - "IM and kick day". Me? IM? I can do 25 fly now but I'm pretty much toast after that.
So RDJr. stayed at the inn and studied chemistry while I swam in an OUTDOOR POOL IN MARCH!!! Practice was only an hour but it was a good hour with no screwing around at the wall. You get the set and you GO! The swim coach told me that they choose lanes based on a 1500 time trial ... um, so yeah ... I think I'll get in the 1:35 lane because this is vacation and I don't want to work too hard. HA! HA! They made me LEAD THE LANE! The new girl gets to lead the lane!! Mistake. They also corrected me on my send off, "um, you're supposed to leave every :10". (This was later, when I was no longer leading the lane - lesson to you!) Back home, we usually leave every :05, but I'm flexible. But this was SCY, and leaving every :10 with five people in the lane meant that the leader would be touching the last person's toes. So I left on :07. HA!
After the swim, I snapped some photos and took my time getting dressed on deck... the pool is HUGE and I noticed that at the far left of the pool, the lane lines had been taken out and there was a group of people swimming around large open-water buoys. WHAT? I should have been doing that!!! No sooner did I put away the camera and start to walk out that I realized Linsey Corbin and Hilary Biscay are standing on deck with me! WE SWAM IN THE SAME POOL! Maybe now, since we shared the same body of water, I will be faster. :)
Have to say, that was a trip. I would have asked them for a photo but they walked into the locker room and that would have been psycho to follow them AND THEN ask for a photo.
I walked back to the B&B and RDJr. had lunch waiting for me. LOVE HIM! We quickly ate slices of pizza and then got ready for a ride. I have to say, I was pretty tired after the swim workout and not being all that acclimated to the heat just yet (it was about 85 that day). I really thought RDJr. wanted to ride so I sucked it up - turns out he thought I was the one that really wanted to ride and he was taking one for me! Ah ... lessons in communication.
At any rate, we chose to do Gates Pass and left around 2 pm from the B&B using the bike lanes and the map Gail had given us that morning. Now, I had an idea that Gates Pass had some climbing to it, because I had read about Jen H.'s experiences on her blog, but I really didn't know what to expect. Yep. Lots of climbing. In fact, the whole way out there is up hill. Add to the fact that it was hot and I was tired, and I got a couple of concerned looks from RDJr. Like, "Really? This is hard for you? Because I'm hardly working at all."
Oh RDJr. - you are a superstar on the bike and you don't even know it. Really. :)
So we stopped a lot - he'll say it was to take pictures because he's sweetheart, I'll say it was to catch my breath because I was hurting. Being as we had never taken this route before, we had no idea what we were riding towards - just that Gates Pass is famous and we should do the ride. I finally said, "there better be a downhill soon!" and just then we saw it - the steepest, fastest descent I had seen in years!!! and the most beautiful valley just below. Take my breath away!!
I thought for a minute that maybe we shouldn't go down it ... because eventually we would have to come back up the sucker ... but that's sissy talk! Screaming down the mountain we went, both acknowledging that we would likely need to replace our brake pads when we got back to KC.
The valley was beautiful! and very much worth it. Coming back up the hill WAS HARD! What is wrong with me? I should be able to do a climb like that without having a heart attack!! Oh well, done and done and the experience was amazing and so was RDJr. who was sooo patient with me and said the nicest, most motivating things to get me up that mountain. The ride back to town was ALL DOWN HILL and we hardly pedaled at all. Ahhhh...
We got back to Peppertrees, ate another slice of pizza (recovery food) and showered. We decided to venture outside of the downtown area to try an Italian restaurant Jill recommends, Vivace. But by the time we found it (it was a bit of a drive) we decided it was not our scene - lots of blue-hairs (as RDJr. put it) and the prices - while reasonable - were not what we wanted to pay that night.
I was hungry and had seen an Old Chicago down the street and suggested we go there - SO GLAD WE DID NOT - but RDJr. suggested we check out Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress. It was fabulous! A-Dog forgot the camera so no photos, but the place is truly unique. It's an old hotel (very minimal - think of the boarding house in the movie, True Grit) with a restaurant, bar and nightclub. The menu at Cup Cafe reminded me a little of R Bar (in KC) and they had fabulous cocktails (I had an El Camino which has Blackberry tequila - YUM!). We also saw a fight while we ate dinner - dinner and a show! The club had some punk/hardcore band playing and some dude got into it with another dude then the girlfriend starts shouting at everyone. It was pretty funny.
Monday was an exhausting day! Wiped out, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
So while Sunday was about vacation, Monday was about training.
We started the day off with a trip to TriSports - WAIT - we started the day off with a good breakfast:
I shop at TriSports.com a lot for all the hard to find items that I can't get here at the LBS or LRS (local running store) like CarboPro, Sable Water Optics goggles, and new flavors of GU Chomps and they have great customer service! While at TS, we met Gail Leveque who took the time to show us a map of all the great rides and running trails Tucson has to offer. The best thing we walked out of that store with was the cycling map of Tucson - we used that sucker several times a day for the rest of our trip. Gail was SO HELPFUL! We also purchased a pull buoy (left mine at home) and a TON of nutrition and a couple of souvenir water bottles.
After TriSports, it was time for masters with the U of A team in the AMAZING OUTDOOR U of A pool!! I saw that Monday was their "free and pull day" and thought that would be a better choice than Tuesday - "IM and kick day". Me? IM? I can do 25 fly now but I'm pretty much toast after that.
So RDJr. stayed at the inn and studied chemistry while I swam in an OUTDOOR POOL IN MARCH!!! Practice was only an hour but it was a good hour with no screwing around at the wall. You get the set and you GO! The swim coach told me that they choose lanes based on a 1500 time trial ... um, so yeah ... I think I'll get in the 1:35 lane because this is vacation and I don't want to work too hard. HA! HA! They made me LEAD THE LANE! The new girl gets to lead the lane!! Mistake. They also corrected me on my send off, "um, you're supposed to leave every :10". (This was later, when I was no longer leading the lane - lesson to you!) Back home, we usually leave every :05, but I'm flexible. But this was SCY, and leaving every :10 with five people in the lane meant that the leader would be touching the last person's toes. So I left on :07. HA!
After the swim, I snapped some photos and took my time getting dressed on deck... the pool is HUGE and I noticed that at the far left of the pool, the lane lines had been taken out and there was a group of people swimming around large open-water buoys. WHAT? I should have been doing that!!! No sooner did I put away the camera and start to walk out that I realized Linsey Corbin and Hilary Biscay are standing on deck with me! WE SWAM IN THE SAME POOL! Maybe now, since we shared the same body of water, I will be faster. :)
Have to say, that was a trip. I would have asked them for a photo but they walked into the locker room and that would have been psycho to follow them AND THEN ask for a photo.
I walked back to the B&B and RDJr. had lunch waiting for me. LOVE HIM! We quickly ate slices of pizza and then got ready for a ride. I have to say, I was pretty tired after the swim workout and not being all that acclimated to the heat just yet (it was about 85 that day). I really thought RDJr. wanted to ride so I sucked it up - turns out he thought I was the one that really wanted to ride and he was taking one for me! Ah ... lessons in communication.
At any rate, we chose to do Gates Pass and left around 2 pm from the B&B using the bike lanes and the map Gail had given us that morning. Now, I had an idea that Gates Pass had some climbing to it, because I had read about Jen H.'s experiences on her blog, but I really didn't know what to expect. Yep. Lots of climbing. In fact, the whole way out there is up hill. Add to the fact that it was hot and I was tired, and I got a couple of concerned looks from RDJr. Like, "Really? This is hard for you? Because I'm hardly working at all."
Oh RDJr. - you are a superstar on the bike and you don't even know it. Really. :)
So we stopped a lot - he'll say it was to take pictures because he's sweetheart, I'll say it was to catch my breath because I was hurting. Being as we had never taken this route before, we had no idea what we were riding towards - just that Gates Pass is famous and we should do the ride. I finally said, "there better be a downhill soon!" and just then we saw it - the steepest, fastest descent I had seen in years!!! and the most beautiful valley just below. Take my breath away!!
I thought for a minute that maybe we shouldn't go down it ... because eventually we would have to come back up the sucker ... but that's sissy talk! Screaming down the mountain we went, both acknowledging that we would likely need to replace our brake pads when we got back to KC.
The valley was beautiful! and very much worth it. Coming back up the hill WAS HARD! What is wrong with me? I should be able to do a climb like that without having a heart attack!! Oh well, done and done and the experience was amazing and so was RDJr. who was sooo patient with me and said the nicest, most motivating things to get me up that mountain. The ride back to town was ALL DOWN HILL and we hardly pedaled at all. Ahhhh...
We got back to Peppertrees, ate another slice of pizza (recovery food) and showered. We decided to venture outside of the downtown area to try an Italian restaurant Jill recommends, Vivace. But by the time we found it (it was a bit of a drive) we decided it was not our scene - lots of blue-hairs (as RDJr. put it) and the prices - while reasonable - were not what we wanted to pay that night.
I was hungry and had seen an Old Chicago down the street and suggested we go there - SO GLAD WE DID NOT - but RDJr. suggested we check out Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress. It was fabulous! A-Dog forgot the camera so no photos, but the place is truly unique. It's an old hotel (very minimal - think of the boarding house in the movie, True Grit) with a restaurant, bar and nightclub. The menu at Cup Cafe reminded me a little of R Bar (in KC) and they had fabulous cocktails (I had an El Camino which has Blackberry tequila - YUM!). We also saw a fight while we ate dinner - dinner and a show! The club had some punk/hardcore band playing and some dude got into it with another dude then the girlfriend starts shouting at everyone. It was pretty funny.
Monday was an exhausting day! Wiped out, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Biosphere 2
Sunday Summary:
Poached egg, breaded in buttered breadcrumbs, with spring veggies
and shoe-string sweet (and regular) fried potatoes. Oh! And bacon!!
After breakfast, we headed out to find Biosphere 2. My parents had visited years ago and said it was worth the trip. RDJr., being the scientist that he is, was really looking forward to a tour. It was AWESOME!! The drive out there was beautiful (MOUNTAINS! CACTUS! SAND! OH MY!) and we saw quite a few cyclists out enjoying the morning on Oracle Road.
We thought we got there around 11 but were reminded that Arizona does not adhere to Daylight Savings, so we saved an hour and started our tour at 10:30. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and very entertaining. It's pretty amazing all of the plants and climates they are able to control inside the dome. U of A students still do research projects there - one grad student is studying the effect of monsoons on two specific types of water bugs. RDJr. was busy scribbling notes into his journal and planing to apply for grad school. Hee hee!
Hot Scientist standing by a rock.
We spent about two hours touring the facility (it really was impressive!) and then headed back to town for lunch. Just two blocks away from our B&B is the best little market - Time Market. They serve up fresh sandwiches, salads, pizza, and baked goods as well as other packaged gourmet products. It's full of hipsters, so we fit right in. ;)
Great patio for people watchin'.
We ate here about three or four times - it was THAT good!
- Biosphere 2
- Lunch at Time Market
- Nap
- Run through U of A campus
- Dinner at B Line
- Night time ride
Poached egg, breaded in buttered breadcrumbs, with spring veggiesand shoe-string sweet (and regular) fried potatoes. Oh! And bacon!!
Blackberry buttermilk waffle!
After breakfast, we headed out to find Biosphere 2. My parents had visited years ago and said it was worth the trip. RDJr., being the scientist that he is, was really looking forward to a tour. It was AWESOME!! The drive out there was beautiful (MOUNTAINS! CACTUS! SAND! OH MY!) and we saw quite a few cyclists out enjoying the morning on Oracle Road.
We thought we got there around 11 but were reminded that Arizona does not adhere to Daylight Savings, so we saved an hour and started our tour at 10:30. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable and very entertaining. It's pretty amazing all of the plants and climates they are able to control inside the dome. U of A students still do research projects there - one grad student is studying the effect of monsoons on two specific types of water bugs. RDJr. was busy scribbling notes into his journal and planing to apply for grad school. Hee hee!
Hot Scientist standing by a rock.
We spent about two hours touring the facility (it really was impressive!) and then headed back to town for lunch. Just two blocks away from our B&B is the best little market - Time Market. They serve up fresh sandwiches, salads, pizza, and baked goods as well as other packaged gourmet products. It's full of hipsters, so we fit right in. ;)
Great patio for people watchin'.
We ate here about three or four times - it was THAT good!After lunch, we took a nap. We were so tired from our exhausting vacation! Ha! Ha! But that's what you do on vacay - you take naps! After the nap, we ran around the U of A campus for about an hour. They were just wrapping up a book fair and there were tents and people everywhere. It's a beautiful campus, I'm sorry I didn't take any photos of it.
We headed back to the B&B for a shower and RDJr. put the bikes together. We walked down 4th Ave. and looked at all the unique shops/bars then headed to dinner at B Line - which was FABULOUS! It's very casual but has a fun, bistro feel to it, despite the fact that it was always very warm inside (guessing from the small space and heat coming from the kitchen). Dessert was the best! I had raspberry rhubarb pie and RDJr. had cheesecake.
Still not sleepy, RDJr. suggested a night time ride, which was one of my favorite things we did all day! Tucson has a bajillion bike lanes on almost every single street! However, NO ONE wears helmets!!! It was just so cool to see all these people riding bikes EVERYWHERE but not wearing a helmet was odd. When in Rome ... we didn't wear helmets that night either and it was kinda liberating. (we did bring our front and rear lights.)
Sometime during the day, I exclaimed that this was the best vacation EVER and RDJr. said, "but it's only the first day". Didn't matter. Even if the rest of the trip sucked, this one day would still make it the best ever!! :)
We headed back to the B&B for a shower and RDJr. put the bikes together. We walked down 4th Ave. and looked at all the unique shops/bars then headed to dinner at B Line - which was FABULOUS! It's very casual but has a fun, bistro feel to it, despite the fact that it was always very warm inside (guessing from the small space and heat coming from the kitchen). Dessert was the best! I had raspberry rhubarb pie and RDJr. had cheesecake.
Still not sleepy, RDJr. suggested a night time ride, which was one of my favorite things we did all day! Tucson has a bajillion bike lanes on almost every single street! However, NO ONE wears helmets!!! It was just so cool to see all these people riding bikes EVERYWHERE but not wearing a helmet was odd. When in Rome ... we didn't wear helmets that night either and it was kinda liberating. (we did bring our front and rear lights.)
Sometime during the day, I exclaimed that this was the best vacation EVER and RDJr. said, "but it's only the first day". Didn't matter. Even if the rest of the trip sucked, this one day would still make it the best ever!! :)
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tucson, Baby!
Saturday Summary:
It was - and then some!
Our flight left Saturday at 2 pm. I am a worry wort. I worry (irrationally) about everything. I don't like to fly so I take a Xanax or two, wash it back with Southwest Airline's finest white wine, and sleep until we land. (That's the short version. In the long version there are tears, wincing and white knuckles.) We switched planes in Albequerque. RDJr. and I watched as they loaded BOTH bike boxes and our checked luggage on to our flight to Tucson. Of course, when we got to Tucson, my bike had magically flown back to Chicago!! Luckily, Southwest quickly located my bike and had it delivered to the B&B the next day. Yay!
Blah, blah, we picked up our massive rental (Chevy Tahoe - we did NOT need that big of a car!!) and headed to our B&B. When RDJr. and were planning this trip (back in November) we discussed many different options - what part of town to stay in ... hotel vs. rental condo... etc. We chose Peppertrees Inn and were thrilled with our choice upon arrival. Every single day we remarked on just how different our experience would have been had we chosen to stay somewhere else. It just would not have been the same.
Our entrance - just off University Ave.
Our very own front porch. Perfect for people watching.
Peppertrees front yard and the owner's private residence. Yes, that IS a grapefruit tree!
The sitting room BEFORE it became the bike room.
Where the magic happens ... or where recovery happens. Depended on the time of day.
Peppertrees is located one block from the U of A campus and three to four blocks from trendy 4th Avenue. The owners, Ron and Jill were very friendly and made us feel at home. Jill is a graduate of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and has worked as a pastry chef for Janos Wilder, one of Tucson's celebrity chef's. Needless to say, breakfast every morning was a work of art.
It was about 8 pm by the time we got to our room and settled in, so we just walked across the street for dinner at Gentle Ben's Brewery. It was a simple brew-pub. Nothing fancy ... I think I had a veggie burger and RDJr. had tacos. He had three beers, I had two.
We walked back to the inn and crashed into bed. Sunday would be a big day!
- Leave KC en route to Tucson, AZ via Albequerque, NM
- Track down missing bike
- Check into Peppertrees
- Dinner and beer!
- Fall into bed
It was - and then some!
Our flight left Saturday at 2 pm. I am a worry wort. I worry (irrationally) about everything. I don't like to fly so I take a Xanax or two, wash it back with Southwest Airline's finest white wine, and sleep until we land. (That's the short version. In the long version there are tears, wincing and white knuckles.) We switched planes in Albequerque. RDJr. and I watched as they loaded BOTH bike boxes and our checked luggage on to our flight to Tucson. Of course, when we got to Tucson, my bike had magically flown back to Chicago!! Luckily, Southwest quickly located my bike and had it delivered to the B&B the next day. Yay!
Blah, blah, we picked up our massive rental (Chevy Tahoe - we did NOT need that big of a car!!) and headed to our B&B. When RDJr. and were planning this trip (back in November) we discussed many different options - what part of town to stay in ... hotel vs. rental condo... etc. We chose Peppertrees Inn and were thrilled with our choice upon arrival. Every single day we remarked on just how different our experience would have been had we chosen to stay somewhere else. It just would not have been the same.
Our entrance - just off University Ave.
Our very own front porch. Perfect for people watching.
Peppertrees front yard and the owner's private residence. Yes, that IS a grapefruit tree!
The sitting room BEFORE it became the bike room.
Where the magic happens ... or where recovery happens. Depended on the time of day.Peppertrees is located one block from the U of A campus and three to four blocks from trendy 4th Avenue. The owners, Ron and Jill were very friendly and made us feel at home. Jill is a graduate of the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) and has worked as a pastry chef for Janos Wilder, one of Tucson's celebrity chef's. Needless to say, breakfast every morning was a work of art.
It was about 8 pm by the time we got to our room and settled in, so we just walked across the street for dinner at Gentle Ben's Brewery. It was a simple brew-pub. Nothing fancy ... I think I had a veggie burger and RDJr. had tacos. He had three beers, I had two.
We walked back to the inn and crashed into bed. Sunday would be a big day!
Friday, March 4, 2011
ABC ... C is for copying others
I love doing these so I'm stealing it from everyone else and posting my answers here:
A. Age: 33... last year in the 30-34 AG. Tear :(
B. Bed size: Queen (but hoping for a King at the *other* house because that bed is not big enough for two people and a 100 lb lion!)
C. Chore you dislike: Mowing the lawn. I don't mind pulling weeds or pruning though.
D. Dogs: Not mine, but I love him just the same - Bailey the Golden Retriever.
E. Essential start to your day: ONE cup of coffee. If I have any more than that, I'm a mess.
F. Favorite color: Green - go Boulevard!
G. Gold or silver: I used to be all about silver, now I'm a golden girl.
H. Height: 5’8”
I. Instruments you play(ed): None. I wanted to play the drums when I was in high school so I could join a band and get boys. Ha! Ha! No wonder my parents never encouraged/supported my love of music. To this day, I still have no rhythm.
J. Job title: Manager, Donor Relations and Fund Management (kinda redundant, I know)
K. Kids: Nope
L. Live: In the 816 - KCMO
M. Mom’s name: Donna
N. Nicknames: A, Missy Miss A, Miss A, Madam, Villasi ... and FLOSSIE!
O. Overnight hospital stays: None. Knock on wood and cross my fingers!
P. Pet peeves: Smokers. Blech! Seriously, who smokes these days? Even worse, friends who think that their smoking doesn't affect you and make YOU stand by the open window breathing arctic air while they stink up the entire room!!
Q. Quote from a movie: I am more famous for quoting Seinfeld ... "Frog is wrong."
R. Righty or Lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: Kevin, 32 and lives in the 917 (Brooklyn, NY) and Brian, 29 who has a 785 (Lawrence, KS) but is currently living in an RV and traveling the US in search of the nations best sunset (and microbrew).
T. Time you wake up: 6:30 on weekdays, 7 on weekends. Isn't not having kids great?
U. Underwear: Black, so everything matches.
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Brussel sprouts. I have tried them every which way (baked, sauteed, roasted, fried) and I just can't get over the taste and texture. I really wish I liked them!
W. What makes you run late: Cramming WAY too much stuff into the schedule or under estimating how long it will take to do things.
X. X-rays you’ve had: Entire thoracic area. I broke my collar bone in a bike crash and also lacerated/punctured my right side. They had to make sure nothing was stuck in the wound.
Y. Yummy food you make: EVERYTHING! Ain't no lie, I'm a good cook. I am partial to baked goods though.
Z. Zoo animal favorites: After I heard about that guy who had his face eaten off by an escaped orangutang at a zoo, I don't visit anymore. I love to watch wild animals - on TV.
A. Age: 33... last year in the 30-34 AG. Tear :(
B. Bed size: Queen (but hoping for a King at the *other* house because that bed is not big enough for two people and a 100 lb lion!)
C. Chore you dislike: Mowing the lawn. I don't mind pulling weeds or pruning though.
D. Dogs: Not mine, but I love him just the same - Bailey the Golden Retriever.
E. Essential start to your day: ONE cup of coffee. If I have any more than that, I'm a mess.
F. Favorite color: Green - go Boulevard!
G. Gold or silver: I used to be all about silver, now I'm a golden girl.
H. Height: 5’8”
I. Instruments you play(ed): None. I wanted to play the drums when I was in high school so I could join a band and get boys. Ha! Ha! No wonder my parents never encouraged/supported my love of music. To this day, I still have no rhythm.
J. Job title: Manager, Donor Relations and Fund Management (kinda redundant, I know)
K. Kids: Nope
L. Live: In the 816 - KCMO
M. Mom’s name: Donna
N. Nicknames: A, Missy Miss A, Miss A, Madam, Villasi ... and FLOSSIE!
O. Overnight hospital stays: None. Knock on wood and cross my fingers!
P. Pet peeves: Smokers. Blech! Seriously, who smokes these days? Even worse, friends who think that their smoking doesn't affect you and make YOU stand by the open window breathing arctic air while they stink up the entire room!!
Q. Quote from a movie: I am more famous for quoting Seinfeld ... "Frog is wrong."
R. Righty or Lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: Kevin, 32 and lives in the 917 (Brooklyn, NY) and Brian, 29 who has a 785 (Lawrence, KS) but is currently living in an RV and traveling the US in search of the nations best sunset (and microbrew).
T. Time you wake up: 6:30 on weekdays, 7 on weekends. Isn't not having kids great?
U. Underwear: Black, so everything matches.
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Brussel sprouts. I have tried them every which way (baked, sauteed, roasted, fried) and I just can't get over the taste and texture. I really wish I liked them!
W. What makes you run late: Cramming WAY too much stuff into the schedule or under estimating how long it will take to do things.
X. X-rays you’ve had: Entire thoracic area. I broke my collar bone in a bike crash and also lacerated/punctured my right side. They had to make sure nothing was stuck in the wound.
Y. Yummy food you make: EVERYTHING! Ain't no lie, I'm a good cook. I am partial to baked goods though.
Z. Zoo animal favorites: After I heard about that guy who had his face eaten off by an escaped orangutang at a zoo, I don't visit anymore. I love to watch wild animals - on TV.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Frozen Fun
Yesterday, RDJr. and I drove to Columbia, Missouri to do a little road race called Froze Toes. 31 miles of frozen fun!! This was my second road race ever, and a first for RDJr. We both had a TON of fun despite the fact that we both blew up in the middle of the race because we're silly triathletes and we don't know roadie rules just yet. Hee hee!
This race wasn't even on my radar for the year. Aubs mentioned it a couple weeks back and RDJr. became intrigued. He pre-registered for the race a week ago and was excited to race. I could stand to do some riding outside and this would force me out of the trainer/roller-derby watchin'/bathroom steps away/basement comfort zone, so I signed on to go with him.
We rolled out of KC about 8:30 am on Sunday morning with doubts about the weather. When we left, there was still about 1-2" of snow on the ground, foggy and 38 degrees. Columbia didn't have as much snow and the roads were supposed to be clear, but there was a 50% chance of rain for our noon start. It could be a cold and wet one.
About 40 miles out from Columbia, Aubs calls and tells me that it has been pouring all morning at the race site and that they were turning around (she was just 30 minutes behind us). We pressed on since we were so close, but both agreed that if it was raining, we too would bail.
Got to the site and NO RAIN! Temps had gone up to the 40s or 50s and the sun was even starting to poke out a bit. Good call by RDJr to press on!
I had to run for 25 minutes BEFORE the bike ... you should have seen the faces of those cyclists! They must have thought I was crazy for running (in fat chamois/diaper knickers) before the race. Done did the run and had just enough time to grab the gear and get to line up.
There were four women in the Open race and 18 in the Cat 4. Had I raced open, I would have come in 4th, but I wasn't here to place, I was here to do a fun workout and support the BF. We all started together and the pace was easy but I was nervous and I'm not used to riding in a pack. I became more confident as the race went on and stayed at the middle-front.
About half-way into the race and I'm feeling good and ... I made the stupidest move! I'm feeling so good that I fly pass the group and decide to pull UP A HILL. I could not hold it for longer than a minute and I blew up and everyone passed me and all I could do was laugh!! That's what you get, dumb a$$!
Dropped and left for dead, I can still see the group through the fog. I was on my own huffin' and puffin' trying to make my way back to the pack but they kept their distance - which never grew, but never shortened either. FINALLY some other lone girl comes from behind and I fall in and it was like the best vacation ever! I thought, hey let's work together and get back to the pack, so after my little rest, I move back in front and she's GONE! Dropped. Great. Now I'm on my own again.
Until ... four others come from behind and we are WORKING! Thankfully we get back to the pack and I can rest, get a little something to eat and take a drink. Lesson learned for sure!!! Pack is just humming along until we get about 6-7 miles from town and then it starts to spread out as people start to attack. I could not respond as well, as I was a little tired and at the mid-back, but I stayed with three other girls and would not leave the wheel in front of me. Finally, I can see the finish and while I was in a great position to sprint, I didn't think I had it in me ... I found the strength and climbed out of the saddle pushing with everything I had just to pass one silly girl, but I did and THAT is another lesson learned.
I finished 10th out of 18.
RDJr. was waiting for me at the finish. He too had a great race but he too went out too early - actually went for a break and dropped the pack for a little while!!! But he thought they were closer to the finish than they really were and got caught. He is such a strong rider and I am really proud of him for taking a risk like that!! Just need to bring the Garmin next time. :)
The rain that had been predicted eventually got us on the way home and thank goodness RDJr. was driving because I HATE driving in bad weather. Freaks me out! I went home to a hot shower, pizza and ONE victory beer.
All in all, it was a really fun day. I feel like I did pretty well considering I wasn't exactly "racing" this race and I don't really know squat about race strategy, tactics and I was basically on my own since I didn't know a soul among the women. My focus isn't on road racing anyway - it's triathlon, but these races are a good way to break out of the monotony of tri training. Good miles and good times with the BF!!
This race wasn't even on my radar for the year. Aubs mentioned it a couple weeks back and RDJr. became intrigued. He pre-registered for the race a week ago and was excited to race. I could stand to do some riding outside and this would force me out of the trainer/roller-derby watchin'/bathroom steps away/basement comfort zone, so I signed on to go with him.
We rolled out of KC about 8:30 am on Sunday morning with doubts about the weather. When we left, there was still about 1-2" of snow on the ground, foggy and 38 degrees. Columbia didn't have as much snow and the roads were supposed to be clear, but there was a 50% chance of rain for our noon start. It could be a cold and wet one.
About 40 miles out from Columbia, Aubs calls and tells me that it has been pouring all morning at the race site and that they were turning around (she was just 30 minutes behind us). We pressed on since we were so close, but both agreed that if it was raining, we too would bail.
Got to the site and NO RAIN! Temps had gone up to the 40s or 50s and the sun was even starting to poke out a bit. Good call by RDJr to press on!
I had to run for 25 minutes BEFORE the bike ... you should have seen the faces of those cyclists! They must have thought I was crazy for running (in fat chamois/diaper knickers) before the race. Done did the run and had just enough time to grab the gear and get to line up.
There were four women in the Open race and 18 in the Cat 4. Had I raced open, I would have come in 4th, but I wasn't here to place, I was here to do a fun workout and support the BF. We all started together and the pace was easy but I was nervous and I'm not used to riding in a pack. I became more confident as the race went on and stayed at the middle-front.
About half-way into the race and I'm feeling good and ... I made the stupidest move! I'm feeling so good that I fly pass the group and decide to pull UP A HILL. I could not hold it for longer than a minute and I blew up and everyone passed me and all I could do was laugh!! That's what you get, dumb a$$!
Dropped and left for dead, I can still see the group through the fog. I was on my own huffin' and puffin' trying to make my way back to the pack but they kept their distance - which never grew, but never shortened either. FINALLY some other lone girl comes from behind and I fall in and it was like the best vacation ever! I thought, hey let's work together and get back to the pack, so after my little rest, I move back in front and she's GONE! Dropped. Great. Now I'm on my own again.
Until ... four others come from behind and we are WORKING! Thankfully we get back to the pack and I can rest, get a little something to eat and take a drink. Lesson learned for sure!!! Pack is just humming along until we get about 6-7 miles from town and then it starts to spread out as people start to attack. I could not respond as well, as I was a little tired and at the mid-back, but I stayed with three other girls and would not leave the wheel in front of me. Finally, I can see the finish and while I was in a great position to sprint, I didn't think I had it in me ... I found the strength and climbed out of the saddle pushing with everything I had just to pass one silly girl, but I did and THAT is another lesson learned.
I finished 10th out of 18.
RDJr. was waiting for me at the finish. He too had a great race but he too went out too early - actually went for a break and dropped the pack for a little while!!! But he thought they were closer to the finish than they really were and got caught. He is such a strong rider and I am really proud of him for taking a risk like that!! Just need to bring the Garmin next time. :)
The rain that had been predicted eventually got us on the way home and thank goodness RDJr. was driving because I HATE driving in bad weather. Freaks me out! I went home to a hot shower, pizza and ONE victory beer.
All in all, it was a really fun day. I feel like I did pretty well considering I wasn't exactly "racing" this race and I don't really know squat about race strategy, tactics and I was basically on my own since I didn't know a soul among the women. My focus isn't on road racing anyway - it's triathlon, but these races are a good way to break out of the monotony of tri training. Good miles and good times with the BF!!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
How Soon is Now?
I realized something this morning. I AM NORMAL.
I know - who knew, right? Here I was thinking I was the only one in this world who was feeling sore, tired, grumpy, worthless, lost, fat, etc. Nope. Turns out EVERYONE is feeling one or more of those things these days.
Blame it on the weather. Blame it on the training. Blame it on ... being human.
The Boss is feeling it. Her fast-swimmy friend is feeling it. Even the pros are feeling it. Tired. Sore. Fearful. Will it be enough? It's not enough. I'm not good enough.
I'm trying the "fake it 'til you make it" strategy and it seems to be working. I'm also doing a lot of self-talk which includes telling my mind to just SHUT IT already ... or GO BACK TO SLEEP there is no reason for you to be worrying about this at 4:23 am. And guess what? It's working! But more than the pep talks that I give myself, more than the encouraging words and cards from RDJr., just knowing that everyone else is suffering in some way, shape or form right now, is ... comforting.
Strange, right? Misery loves company? Naw, it's not like that. It's more like ... well, I'm thinking of this part in Home Alone where McCauley Calkin yells out, "I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE. Ya hear that world - I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE". Only, replace "afraid" with "alone".
Thank goodness this week is step back week. Man! Masters is kicking my BUTT! And while I have three swims this week instead of two, and the workouts include funny things like binding your ankles with an old inner tube and dumb hypoxic sets (yeah, that's right, they're STUPID HARD!) I'm kinda glad I don't have to go to masters until Saturday.
Geez, I guess I really needed to vent. :) Ha! Ha!
Okay, so now that is out of my system, let's look FORWARD!! I hear it's supposed to be in the 40s and maybe even 50 this weekend!! GOODBYE SNOW!! And Valentine's Day is coming up and I have a very special valentine to spend it with... and our trip to Tucson keeps getting closer and closer every day!! 34 days to be exact. I CAN NOT WAIT to swim in an outdoor pool ... to bike up Mt. Lemmon for a cookie, or pie, or whatever they serve up there ... to trail run IN SHORTS ... to visit the Biosphere and Observatory ... to wake up to a gourmet breakfast every day ... to just spend time with the most awesome person I know.
AND THEN ... two weeks until my first foot race AND THEN race season will practically be in full swing!!
OH HELL YES! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!
See. Totally normal. ;)
I know - who knew, right? Here I was thinking I was the only one in this world who was feeling sore, tired, grumpy, worthless, lost, fat, etc. Nope. Turns out EVERYONE is feeling one or more of those things these days.
Blame it on the weather. Blame it on the training. Blame it on ... being human.
The Boss is feeling it. Her fast-swimmy friend is feeling it. Even the pros are feeling it. Tired. Sore. Fearful. Will it be enough? It's not enough. I'm not good enough.
I'm trying the "fake it 'til you make it" strategy and it seems to be working. I'm also doing a lot of self-talk which includes telling my mind to just SHUT IT already ... or GO BACK TO SLEEP there is no reason for you to be worrying about this at 4:23 am. And guess what? It's working! But more than the pep talks that I give myself, more than the encouraging words and cards from RDJr., just knowing that everyone else is suffering in some way, shape or form right now, is ... comforting.
Strange, right? Misery loves company? Naw, it's not like that. It's more like ... well, I'm thinking of this part in Home Alone where McCauley Calkin yells out, "I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE. Ya hear that world - I'M NOT AFRAID ANYMORE". Only, replace "afraid" with "alone".
Thank goodness this week is step back week. Man! Masters is kicking my BUTT! And while I have three swims this week instead of two, and the workouts include funny things like binding your ankles with an old inner tube and dumb hypoxic sets (yeah, that's right, they're STUPID HARD!) I'm kinda glad I don't have to go to masters until Saturday.
Geez, I guess I really needed to vent. :) Ha! Ha!
Okay, so now that is out of my system, let's look FORWARD!! I hear it's supposed to be in the 40s and maybe even 50 this weekend!! GOODBYE SNOW!! And Valentine's Day is coming up and I have a very special valentine to spend it with... and our trip to Tucson keeps getting closer and closer every day!! 34 days to be exact. I CAN NOT WAIT to swim in an outdoor pool ... to bike up Mt. Lemmon for a cookie, or pie, or whatever they serve up there ... to trail run IN SHORTS ... to visit the Biosphere and Observatory ... to wake up to a gourmet breakfast every day ... to just spend time with the most awesome person I know.
AND THEN ... two weeks until my first foot race AND THEN race season will practically be in full swing!!
OH HELL YES! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!
See. Totally normal. ;)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Make It Work
Friday is long run day. Well, it has been for the past two weeks. As you know, I have been pretty good about running outside despite what Mother Nature has on the agenda. Not this week. I had had it!! No more running in the dark, in the cold, in the snow and ice. So I decided to do my long run at the gym.
Ha! Ha! Ha!
"Long run" and "gym" don't usually mix, but I got it done. X minutes on the mill, X on the indoor track, X on the mill again. Done.
Not too bad ... except I FORGOT TO PACK SOCKS! Hmmm, okay. Guess I'll just go without because I have this:
What? You didn't know that chapstick is good blister protection? I'm guessing no one at the gym did either as they watched this sweaty girl take off her shoes and apply CHAPSTICK to the hot spots. Yeah, I still got blisters anyway, but my shoes smell like cloves now.
What else got me through a PAINFUL long run at the gym? Ol' trusty iPod! I haven't been running with it lately, mostly because I really need to download some new tunes, but also because it's probably safer NOT to wear it when I'm running in the pitch dark.
Blast back to high school, circa 1994(ish) ...
My reward for all this hard work? Pizza, ice cream, and the sweetest card from RDJr. He is my #1 cheerleader! I am a lucky lady!!
Ha! Ha! Ha!
"Long run" and "gym" don't usually mix, but I got it done. X minutes on the mill, X on the indoor track, X on the mill again. Done.
Not too bad ... except I FORGOT TO PACK SOCKS! Hmmm, okay. Guess I'll just go without because I have this:
What? You didn't know that chapstick is good blister protection? I'm guessing no one at the gym did either as they watched this sweaty girl take off her shoes and apply CHAPSTICK to the hot spots. Yeah, I still got blisters anyway, but my shoes smell like cloves now.
What else got me through a PAINFUL long run at the gym? Ol' trusty iPod! I haven't been running with it lately, mostly because I really need to download some new tunes, but also because it's probably safer NOT to wear it when I'm running in the pitch dark.
Blast back to high school, circa 1994(ish) ...
My reward for all this hard work? Pizza, ice cream, and the sweetest card from RDJr. He is my #1 cheerleader! I am a lucky lady!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Green Machine
I just finished one of the biggest training weeks I've had in years. I haven't had a week like that since I was training for 70.3! And ya know what, it was not that bad.
Ha! Ha! Actually, I did get my butt kicked on Saturday by the training load. Huffing and puffing on the wall at masters, trying to blink back the tears as I told coach that I was just too tired. A number of things contributed to Saturday's bonk and now that they are identified, I'll make some changes so it doesn't happen again. Sunday was full of energy and a looong workout, and I'm happy I was able to finish the week strong.
One of the things that is making me strong like Popeye is this:
Ha! Ha! Actually, I did get my butt kicked on Saturday by the training load. Huffing and puffing on the wall at masters, trying to blink back the tears as I told coach that I was just too tired. A number of things contributed to Saturday's bonk and now that they are identified, I'll make some changes so it doesn't happen again. Sunday was full of energy and a looong workout, and I'm happy I was able to finish the week strong.
One of the things that is making me strong like Popeye is this:
Green smoothie!!! I thought it would be gross but it's actually delicious!
What's in it? About 2-3 cups of spinach, a bunch of mint (leaves only), unsweetened almond milk, maple syrup (you could use Agave or honey) and some frozen strawberries. The trick is to set the blender to "puree" with the spinach, mint and milk, first. Then set to "liquefy". This will get rid of all the little "bits" of spinach and mint and make it nice and smooth. Then add the strawberries and set to "smoothie". Add the sweetener at the end. Looks like baby poo, but tastes great!!
Now that the sno-nami (snowmagedon, sno-torious B.I.G.) has hit the Midwest, I will be doing ALL of my workouts this week inside. Even Yaktraks won't do me any good in 5-25" of snow!! (Seriously, pick a number and stick with it, weatherman!)
Stay warm and safe this week!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Party Arty
This picture of RDJr. and I is just so cute that I had to post it here, as well as on FB. Doesn't he look adorable? Well, I'm biased.
Party Arty is a "young professionals" fundraiser for The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It was a good time - dancing, people watching, chatting with friends. Of course, I can now count on two hands the number of drinks I've had in 3 months and that is why I went into Sunday's workout a little dehydrated (the truth comes out). Gotta hop back on the wagon because I've got a BIG build training block coming at me this week, and the next ... and the next. Hope I can find my Big Girl pants.
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