Why I Love the Y

Today at the Y, a woman joins our spin class wearing acid washed jeans with rhinestones on the pockets, thick brown leather belt, a long sleeve silk shirt, a mohair sweater vest, and sneakers with 1 inch heels.  She is wearing a fair amount of make up, and hangs her purse and winter coat from the bars of the bike. She hops on the bike and starts pedaling. The instructor does not bat an eye.  Tells her to roll up her jean leg, and launches right into classes. 

Other cast of characters include:

• Woman in grey leotard and red tights, straight from the 80's
  
• Woman with electric blue terry cloth sweatband and matching writs bands
• Man who had never been to spin class before and was wearing short short running shorts
• Woman in billowy, white ensemble, possibly form hospital, with white orthopedic shoes 

In reading this description, I can actually see people in these clothes intentionally trying to be retro-ironic-annoying.  But these people were not that at all. They were dressed like they normally dress at the gym,  mostly in their late 40s or early 50s, just going about their business. Not an ironic bone in them.  And this is why I love the Y.

Quiet Triumphs

Today after a very slow start in the morning, Chris and I headed down to Woodside (about 30 min south) for a bike ride.  Chris, even in his least fit form, is way faster and stronger than I am on the bike.   We rarely ride together because of this, and because I tend to work myself up into a frenzy alternating between "I'm so slow and pathetic" and "He's having a terrible time because he has to stop so much and go so slowly."  Self-pity and hyper-sensitivity all in one ride.  It makes me *super* fun to be with.

But today, I was determined to work on the old quieting the mind concept.  After negotiating with Chris for a long time about which route to take (his vote was for a Skyline climb - 35 miles 4000 ft of climbing), we settled on 27 miles with 2 climbs on Old La Honda (2400 ft or so), which still seemed an awful lot to me. But in the spirit of quite minds, I put aside my panic and self-doubt and hopped on the bike, happy to be riding with him.

The first climb started after 6 miles of fairly flat easy roads.  It's  about 1300 ft in 3.4 miles on beautiful, windy roads with amazing views.  It's an average of 7.2% grade, which I guess isn't too steep as these things go, but it was a tough, tough, climb for me.   It took us about 45 minutes or so to climb it.  I went through the classic hill climbing phases for me:  1) nervous 2) self doubt  3) talking to one self to calm down  4) focused 5) determined.  Hearing usually goes all wonky at this phase.  6) legs in agony and wondering when it will ever end 7) sheer will to completion 8) want to vomit.

The second climb was much less steep, but my legs and ego were shot.  The long decent back to Woodside also scared me a bit, especially with all of the traffic on the roads.  I worked on just focusing on enjoying the ride, but my self-doubt and hypersensitivity got the better of me.  "Chris is waiting again."  "The cars behind me an upset with me because I'm going so slowly."  "I'm going to crash and die on this lame ass descent." Etc.

But I completed the ride, Chris didn't seem terribly annoyed, and I climbed a hill I've always wanted to climb.  So I'd call that a physical success.  And though the voices in my head were louder than I would have liked, they seemed a touch quieter than in the past, and I'm glad we did the ride.  So I'd also call that a quiet triumph, too.  

Then I got to eat a chimichanga.  So that made the whole day worthwhile :-)

Inspirations all around

Some days, like yesterday, I feel so insignificant in this world.  Not in a low-self esteem sort of way, but rather that the world is greater, grander, and more challenging than my little bubble -- and I find it refreshing, humbling, and wonderful.

Our team did a lovely 30 mile ride up in Nicaso, which is about 30 miles north of San Francisco.  We rode to Point Reyes Station and had amazing views of Tomales Bay.  These places always make me thankful to live in Northern California and thankful to be able to enjoy them on my bike.

We worked on pacelining today, which was a whole new adventure for someone like me who has trouble walking straight, let alone riding straight.  But it definitely made a difference as we rode back in some strong headwinds.

On the ride, I learned about one of our honorees who battled cancer for some time. His treatments sounded terrible and painful.  But today he is 3 years post treatments and on his bike riding with us. I also chatted with one of our participants who, along with her husband, are training in honor of their Pops who passed away earlier this year from lymphoma.  In their journey to get to our team, they also got in shape, lost 167 lbs combine, and endured what sounded like terrible back surgery where they were not sure she would ever walk again -- all this year. Then she learned to walk again (wow).  They got some bikes, learned to ride, and joined the team.  They also live fairly far away and make it to practically every training with gigantic smiles on their faces.  Also, they are really nice. 

I started the ride in a fairly bad mood -- woke up at 5:30am, had no coffee, left my helmet at home, etc.   But by the time I left, I felt peaceful and grateful.  And my tushy didn't hurt!

Ride Motivation

So I've eaten ham for the last 7 meals.  It is the best ham in the entire world, so you can't blame me.  But it's getting a bit ridiculous.  So I'm using my ham obsession as incentives to do some serious bike training.  Whatever it takes, right?  If I eat ham, I must exercise. Today, I did a great spin class at the gym so that I could eat ham for all 3 meals.  Tomorrow, I am having dinner with a friend, so I will likely not train nor eat ham.

But first to justify my silliness or ham-illiness, you need to know the ham was just accepted into the 5th World Congress of Dry Cured Ham in Spain. The Spaniards love their hams, so they would know.  I've tried a lot of other hams, and this one deserves its place in the Ham Hall of Fame. It's a ham like no other.

Alrighty, now onto some biking updates.  We did a lovely ride in Pleasant Hill and Martinez on Saturday.  25 miles or so with some spectacular views.  I'm glad to learn more about the East Bay this season. I managed to lose a screw on my cleat at some point and was unable to clip out. We spent a good 15 min on the side of the road with me standing in my socks trying to figure out how to get my shoe off the bike.  A few clever uses of the the multitool and I was on my way again. 

Our team is divided into to smaller groups of people who ride about the same speed.  We're a smallish group of 6 ladies and our coach Jim.  This was my first ride with them so far since I've had the flu of some sort (the H1N1 status is still up for debate).  Though I serenaded my ride group with my phlegmy hacking the whole way, they still seemed to talk to me afterwards.  Anyhow, I like the small group riding, and I'm hoping to learn more about pace lines in the near future. 

Our team seems to be on the whole older than the Tri team.  This is good and bad.  The team doesn't quite have the youthful/drunken/high energy of the tri team, but I like the more mellow approach and I don't feel so old.  Actually, I really like the It's Just a Ride Not a Race mentality.  Tri's will always have a place in my heart, but this lack of the need for speed is just what I need right now.

And I know you're all wondering about the tushy.  So far so good.  Had a minor set back when I had the flu and was lying in bed for 5 days straight.  But now that I'm moving around again, I think its going to be okay on the bike.  Still seeing the Butt Doc but we're making steady progress.

Dusting off Speedster and Searching for Donors

Well, I've done it again.  Signed myself up for something I'm not sure I can do.  This time it will be the Solvang Century in March.  This will be a 104 mile bike ride through Central California wine country. It will include 5000+ feet of climbing, which seems to come at the very end of the ride.  It will not include any wine.  This is unfortunate.  I will be dusting off my bike and hoping that my hind quarters are up for the challenge.  Wish me luck.

No pictures of me on a bike so far, but here's one of me eating a lot of meat after a long ride.  Speedster's there in the background.

I am also volunteering my time as the Fundraising Capatin for our cycle team.  This means I am basically helping lots of other teammates in their fundraising efforts to find a cure for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

You will all be saddened to know you will not be receiving an email from me with a request for donations to my website.  But you're not off the hook so easy this time . . . .

I do desperately need donations that will help me with supporting my team. I'm hoping to do a series of raffles to act as incentives for people to raise more money for LLS.  The more they raise, the better chances they get to win a fabulous prize or two.

So, please please, can you help me find donations for:

• Gift certificates -  to restaurants, hair salons, massages, bike fits, furniture, book stores, clothing, etc. (Bay area or Online)
• Products - software, outdoor gear, food, wine, etc.
• Tickets - to events, museums or shows
• Services - hosting a wine tasting, cooking a dinner,  yoga classes, art classes, catering, etc. (Bay Area or Online)
• Spaces - venues for hosting private parties

All donations are tax-deductible.  And your company or organization will be promoted throughout the season.  If you'd like to contribute with cash, just let me know.  I can always work with that!!  Just drop me a note, give me aring, or comment here and I'll get in touch!!

Success at Lake San Antonio!

Wildflower #3. Check!!

What a great weekend we had! All of our team did really well. The weather cooperated just beautifully, and I finished my race in a respectable time (for me) with out any injuries or an aching butt. So all in all, I'd call it a success!

We got there on Friday, and it was drizzling on and off, which worried everyone. We set up camp and noticed that it wasn't that crowded and the energy levels seemed sort of low in Loop G of the campground. It never really got packed like it has been the past. Not sure if its the economy or it was the rain.

Saturday our Long Course team raced. Everyone finished and did really well. One of my mentees completed his first triathlon ever, and did it in under 6 hours. Amazing! Chris and I spent the day cheering folks on, chalking up the roads with TNT cheer, and trying to stay hydrated.

That evening, as is tradition at Wildflower (a.k.a the Woodstock of Triathlons), we had a group dinner, which was interrupted by a pack of streaking Cal Poly students. I don't know why, but this is just part of the Wildflower experience. Good times. No photos to share of that. Sorry.

Sunday 6am rolled around pretty quickly. I hadn't slept well, which was to be expected. My leg had started cramping in the night, so I actually woke up with a sore hamstring. But other than that I felt calm and collected and not too nervous.

My wave (the old lady wave) started at 10:40am. The first wave was at 9am, so there was a long wait to begin. And consequently, by the time I finished, the crowds for cheering had thinned. Another disadvantage of getting old . . .but I digress. It was about 72 or so when we started. And probably hit 80 by the time I was running. A mix of cloud cover and sun. Perfect!

My swim felt great. I didn't get the race panic that I often get when I first jump in the water. I found my stroke pretty quickly and had a great time swimming. I swam next to a woman pretty much the whole way who did breaststroke for the entire swim. Very impressive. But I couldn't draft off of her. Darnit! Coach Bill ran with me after the swim exit and it got my spirits up. Having people cheer you on at a race gives me an amazingly huge psychological boost.

The bike was terrific too. The sun had come out by then, but there was no wind. The hills were shorter than I remembered and I felt pretty strong. I did fly down a few of the hills at 40mph, which might be fastest I've ever gone on my bike. I dropped my chain right before the last decent back to transition. Lost a few minutes there fixing it, but in the end, I was quite happy with how that all went.

The run, as usual, kicked my butt. It was much harder than I remembered and my hamstrings were really aching. But I felt hydrated and pretty good, tired legs aside. Chris and the captains were in the "Pit of Despair" and ran with me up the hill, which definitely got my spirits up. I ended up having to walk parts of the 2nd half of the run. I also got passed by two 65 year old women. Sigh. The last mile is all down hill, but I was really having to dig deep to pick up any speed on it. I thought of Jasmina, Arylene, and Buck the whole way down. I thought of everyone who supported me and donated to my fundraising. I thought of why I do TNT each year. And I thought about the beer and ice cream I would get after I finished. All of it worked! I had enough in me to pick up the pace as I crossed the finish line!

My time was about 2 minutes slower than last year, but given all of the challenges I've had this season, I was quite pleased with my time. I placed 1993rd out of 3500 people, which is squarely in the "slow camp," but hey, I did it! Today (Wed) my legs are still aching a bit and stairs are a bit of a challenge, but it's all good.


Thanks to everyone who supported me. You guys helped me get across the finish line!!

Racing in Honor of . . .

In all of the craziness of race prep, I often forget that I am doing this not just for myself. This weekend, I will be thinking of all of our team honorees and their families. And I will also be racing in honor of:

1) Jasmina - 5 year old god-daughter of my friends in NYC. She has been fighting Leukemia and is awaiting a bone marrow transplant. Here is an update from my friends:

Hi Melissa,

Our pleasure. Jasmina is feeling quite well. I saw her at the hospital on Saturday. She wanted me to hold her hands and lift her as high as possible while she jumped. Not exactly the picture of a sickly child. She tired me out. The only negative side effect was that her long, candy-apple red wig kept falling off. They still have not found a perfect bone marrow match for her, although one of the drives we did in her name turned up a perfect match for another patient on the waiting list. The cycles of chemo cannot be expected to keep the disease at bay indefinitely (she has gone through five or six already), so they are thinking about alternative (i.e., less than perfect-match) transfer procedures. If they go that route, they may look to her biological mother to be the donor (assuming she is healthy enough), or another donor who has already been identified as having a significant number of matching genetic components with Jasmina. They may have to move her to Philadelphia or Memphis, where they are doing trials of that nature.

Good luck this weekend!!

2) Buck Lauer - My friends father-in-law who was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma this year. He has been under going chemo for the last few months. Hoping he's doing well.

3) Arylene (Kline?) - My friend Rebecca's grandmother. Arylene was diagnosed with leukemia about a month ago and passed away last week. Rebecca raced with us last year and wasn't able to join us this year. So I am racing for her and in her grandma's honor.


I'll be thinking of them all this weekend and during the race. Thanks to everyone who has supported me and LLS. I hope that in the future I won't have any honorees because we find a cure for blood cancers. Until then, let's keep up the good work.

And if you'd like to help Jasmina, please register for the bone marrow donor registry. More info here: http://www.oneforjasmina.com/

Peace and gratitude.
m.

Let the Taper Begin

Sunday we did a practice triathlon at Crissy Field. A 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run all in one of the most beautiful places in San Francisco. It was a gorgeous day and I felt pretty good.

I swallowed an enormous amount of Bay water at the start and had to stop to prevent myself from throwing up. And then I really had to pee, so stopped a bit to try to do that. With no success and people swimming past me like mad, I pressed on. The water was cold and I got a bit dizzy. Wasn't my best swim. Oh well.

The bike was great. I love biking through the Presidio. There are a few nice hills and lots of rollers. The forest of Eucalyptus trees and the fancy Sea Cliff neighborhood keep you well entertained.

And the run was mostly flat, with one steep hill down to Aquatic Park. Jello legs didn't last too long, and I felt fine when I finished.

Someone ran into me on the bike, and I cut my leg. I didn't even notice but had a nice stream of blood running down my leg by the time I got back. Nice!

Anyhoo, now we begin the official taper. Light workouts, and no more drinking. Trying to get lost of sleep this week, too. Woohoo!

We head down to Lake San Antonio on Friday. Wish me luck!!

Sweepers Unite

Sometimes you just have to embrace your inner slowness. A group of four of us were officially the sweep team. We kept each other company and none talked of how utterly far behind we were from the rest of the group. Sort of an unspoken rule. With the pressure of catching up off of us, we had a lovely ride together.

We did a very hilly 36 mile ride around Mt. Tam. It was probably 2500+ ft of climbing and there were points were I was nauseous from exertion, wanted to give up, and pretty much thought I'd just fall off my bike or roll backwards. But I did none of those and am pleased to call that a victory.

One of our teammates had some flat tire issues, so there was a good 30 min break in there to help her out, not that I minded the rest. We had a good view of the fog over Stinson Beach and watched the paragliders set up shop and fall off of cliffs.

It was still a lovely day in the city when we got back. 65 or so. A teammate of ours had a fundraising bbq in Dolores Park, which is a fabulous people watching park in the mission. I scarfed down a hot dog and a burger. Ahhh training! This is my favorite part.

Tomorrow we do an open water swim in the Bay, which will be great, since it will be warm outside. But the best part of the swim is that it marks the beginning of TAPERing!!

Victory in the New Neighborhood

Today we were to do our peak week long run. I did 7 miles and decided to face the hills of new neighborhood again. This time, I took 2 dollars in cash with me in case I needed a bus ride home. I also took some sports gel and my ipod to keep me entertained. 7 miles at my pace, with hills, can take some time. I set out at 6:25 pm and just wanted to get home before dark.

There is a good steady hill at the beginning of this run. About 1.5 miles. I see people running it all the time and think, god, that looks awful. Turns out its not so bad. To be clear, I did walk one short section. But I cranked my ipod and made it to the top. Then I ran down towards Stern Grove and the beach. Didn't make quite to the water, but it was a nice downhill recovery. And as they say, that which goes down must come up, so a series of steep hills for about 1.5 miles coming back. And then a nice 1 mile cruise down hill home.

I pushed myself on the hills, thinking about the course at Wildflower, which is royal pain in the arse. But I did it, and came home to porkchops, roasted veggies, and turnip greens. Mmmm. Thank you Chris.

Here's the elevation chart of my run today. Nothing to sneeze at.

Driving Workout

This weekend I was on SAG (Support and Gear) duty for the bike/run workout. I didn't actually get to ride, but drove the course making sure no one had any problems with their bikes. It was actually really fun because the course is so beautiful. Part of it overlooks Stinson Beach. The day was glorious and it was just great to be up there. First picture is of me and Coach Tom before the ride started. Second one is the view from the course. Amazing!!

I had hoped to get in a nice long run when I got home, but I had failed to eat lunch and ate way too much Easter candy, so was feeling a little loopy. My tailbone also ached from all the sitting, so I took the afternoon off.





Saturday, we had an open water swim at Aquatic Park. It was another glorious day and I had a great time in the water. Here's a pic of us practicing a mass start of the swim. Lots of splashing and kicking.


We have one more hard week of training and then we begin the taper. Ack!!

New Neighborhoods

Today I went on my first run in my new neighborhood. There is a great park nearby with hiking trails, so I thought I'd go check it out. I should preface this all by saying in my old neighborhood, it is mostly flat. There are some hills in the Presidio, but they tend to be of the long, slow climbing sort. In my new neighborhood, there are short and long steep hills everywhere. You can guess where this is going . . .

I set off through the neighborhood, only to be stopped by a friendly neighbor, Connie, who has lived here since 1974. She had LOTS of stories to tell. I chatted for about 15 minutes and then had to make a mad dash before she launched into another trip down memory lane. I make it to the park and find a nice, flat fire road. A nice half mile jog and then I start getting into single-track paths, then some very muddy spots with alot of poison oak. So I think I'll head to drier trails up higher in the canyon. Soon I am at the top with lovely views of the canyon and the neighborhood. I follow the trail up a bit more, thinking I would come out near the major road the loops around the canyon taking me back home. I pop out in what I later discover is called Diamond Heights. Amazing views of the Bay and downtown, even.

Being that I am training in peak week, I take on the hills running them at first, then jogging, then walking. Then just stopping for short bit. Unfortunately, my navigating kept leading to dead-ends at the tops of very steep hills. I tried to run them all, but after some lung coughing up, I try another approach to get home. I start following the cars, figuring they would at least get me to the main road. Several more steep hills later, I find myself near a police station. I was about to go in and ask them how to get home, but then luckily spot a bus stop. This would have been awesome news had I had my bus pass with me. Ah well. But it was at least good news, as there was a bus map! Despite all the hill running, I wasn't too far off base, actually. It was probably a 2 mile run back home, and my overall run was probably just 4.5 miles, but it felt like an eternity with all of those hills!

Ah San Francisco!

Packing and Peaking

We're coming up on our peak weeks of training. The race is in 3.5 weeks. Ack!

This past weekend we did a very hilly 6 mile run in Tennessee Valley (that's the pic here). It was a gorgeous day!

Then on Sunday, we did a long and hard swim followed by a 36 mile ride from Larkspur to Nicasio. My tailbone was aching badly, my lungs were wheezy, and I was a little bit grumpy from not enough sleep. I was exhausted that night, to say the least. But it was beautiful outside, warm and sunny. So in the end, it was worth it.

In addition to all of the peaking, there was a lot of packing. And unpacking. We moved to our new home in Glen Park, and it has been a constant flow of movement and energy for the last 3 weeks. Every day, I get home from work and immediately start unpacking and organizing. Somewhere in there, I drink a beer. And then we collapse and go to bed. I've manged to get a few good workouts in, but not nearly enough.

Anyhow, I'm trying to focus this week and next and get all of my workouts in. Unfortunately, I woke up this morning with a terrible sore throat and unpleasant feeling all around. Do I push myself or do I rest? We'll see what wins out tonight at our track workout.

You Call This a Push Up?

Can you spot me? Hint: I the one who appears to be trying to ram her head into the ground. Good thing I'm wearing a helmet for safety.


This is us doing some core work before our bike and run in Nicaso, CA. It was a glorious day and I really enjoyed the bike(25 miles). The run (4 miles) on the other hand was a bit sluggish.

Then I went home and packed up everything in our apartment and moved to our new house! Phew.

It has been a busy week, but I'm glad I've been able to get out on my bike. A lot of the other stuff in my life doesn't matter in those few hours when I'm out there. It's a wonderful time meditating or chatting with friends. Has definitely kept me sane.

Training Weekend Insights

We just came back from our training weekend down at Lake San Antonio, site of the the race I am doing (Wildflower). It was a great weekend, despite some rain and camping mishaps. This is the 6th time I've been down there (3 training weekend and 3 race events) and each time I learn a bit more about the area and about myself.

So here we go (insert fanfare, but only a small one, 'cause these aren't exactly Earth shattering):

1. Wild Boar: I've always known there were wild boar on the land down there. You have to take some precaution with food and camping. It never occurred to me that you could HUNT for them! Chris has been looking for a place to go for awhile. One of my teammates stopped some hunters and asked them. Apparently it's just $2 for the day to hunt there. Mmmm mmm mmm.

2. Life is like a butterfly. On the way down there, I killed approximately 7,521 butterflies. There were yellow splotches a butterfly guts all over my windshield. There were at least a dozen of them plastered on my front license plate. When I took my bike off the rack, there about 7 full wings stuck in my bike pedals. On the way back, I didn't see any butterflies. Apparently, I killed them all on the way down. I actually felt really awful about the whole thing. I mean, they probably had just come out of their cocoons ready to great the wide world, and then SPLAT. But this TNT thing always make me think about the gift we have in our life and to be grateful for what we have. One of the honorees from another team spoke at one of our dinners. She battled Hodgkin's in her 20's and has been in remission for a while. But recently learned she was facing breast cancer, a common consequence of women treated for cancer in the 70's. She said to us, I am not angry at my doctors 30 years ago. I am not bitter. If breast cancers should get the better of me, I am still thankful for I have had a chance to live an amazing 30 years since my first treatment. So I am taking a lesson from the butterflies and from our teammate. Be thankful for the life that you have and make the very most of what you have right now.

3. Putting Self Doubt Aside. I went into this weekend, very worried and doubtful that I would be able to train at all, given my injuries and having missed so many training weekends. I had learned to stop beating myself up about that, and finally came to terms with the fact that I have had ALOT of stuff going on (bought a house, got married, moving, fundraising, training, mentoring, etc.) I am essentially overcommitted. So with that perspective in mind, I managed to put my self doubt aside and just "see what happens" with the training. I knew it was going to be a great weekend of fun, but didn't know how I would do. Turns out, I did just fine! The swim was fine. The bike was challenging, but completely doable. My butt was fine and I could even stand up on the hills without pain! The run was hard, but Molly and I did a little walk/run on the hills and got through the tough run just fine. I am realizing my self doubt often limits me in what I can do.

So there you have 3 insights of varying degrees of depth.

There are 4 muscles that are not sore

I'm finally back in to the full swing of training, and my body is rebelling. I have been waking up every morning and announcing to Chris "I'm sore all over." Then I roll back over and go to sleep again.

The first week back after vacation has been tough physically, but very good mentally. I am feeling like I will be able to do the race as long as I am diligent with my training. I may not have PR this season, but I know I will have a good time!

This week I:

• Did our first brick (bike and run) in the Presidio.
• Swam 2100 meters without loosing count of my laps at all!
• Did some hill repeats on my bike in the Presidio. Had a hard time on the hill on Arguello, but other than that, did alright.
• Ran 6 miles on Sunday in the rain.
• And. . . we did our first open water swim in the Bay! It was *only* 54 degrees. Balmy, compared to years past.

In addition to tri- training. I'm also all consumed with painting our new house and packing our old house. Busy busy times. Next weekend, we're off to training weekend to train on the course of Wildflower. Wish me luck!!

New Forms of Training

Well the last 3 weeks have been crazy. I've changed up my training a bit to focus less on swimming, biking, and running, and more on drinking rum and eating fried foods. Not exactly effective, I'm learning.

So we went on vacation to Colombia for 2 weeks. It was an amazing trip and I had a great time. I am hoping I didn't loose too much ground on the training front. I did swim in the Caribbean quite a bit, and even did three 45min+ open water swims. But then the pica picas (jellyfish like creatures) moved in. So I stayed on the boat and drank some more rum.

But now I am back and ready to pick up where I left off. I went to spin class last night, my first in 7 months. That went fairly well, though I am still pretty out of shape.

I am trying not to get to worried or stressed about my lack of good training this season. It's all for a good cause, right?

Anyhow, first open water swim with the team this weekend. 49 degree water here I come!!

Standing Still and Moving Forward

Today the team is doing their first longer ride out around Paradise Loop. I am at home in bed coughing up a lung, nursing plantar fascitis, and a sore bum. Last night I had anxiety dreams about being left behind in my training and not being able to do the race.

But as I sit here resting, thankful I am not on my bike, I remember that part of training is knowing when to be patient. Sometimes you have to slow down in order to speed up in the long run.

So today, I will work on my fundraising efforts (You can help! ), watch another stupid movie on netflix, and wait patiently for my body to give me the green light.

Round and Round Begins

Kickoff was last week in Berkeley. It's always a great time and gets me motivated all all fronts. Chris and I mentoring a group this season. We have six great folks, 5 of which are newbies to triathlons, which is very exciting. Hopefully they will have a great season. I know we will do our best to feed them well, at the very least.

Tuesday was the 1st official workout on the schedule. I swam for 30 minutes, and it went relatively well. No major pains in the tailbone area. I love these early swims because we don't have to count laps for distance. We just swim for 30 minutes, and I really love getting lost in the stroke and in the calming feeling of the water. Lots of people hate the repetition of swimming, but I love going round and round, and rotating back and forth, and listening to my breathing.

And today, we had our first coached workout at Kezar. I am happily running with the "Level As" as its plenty challenging, given my fitness level. Also, us slow-pokes have to stick together. I'm convinced that the slower folks are the funnest people to hang out with, anyhow.

I had to cut my run a bit short due to some pain, but nothing too major. Just being cautious.

And in other news, we bought a house today.

Comfortably Numb

TNT Kickoff is this Saturday. Chris and I are co-mentoring a group this season and looking forward to having the Fanciest Camp ever at training weekend.

I'm making slow progress on the training front, having run 3 miles 3 times in the past week. Each time getting a bit easier, though it's still pretty hard and slow. Have been pretty good with doing my physical therapy core exercise, too. I went to the doctor yesterday (the butt doctor as I affectionately refer to her) who gave me a small injection of steroid and Novocaine in my rear end. I spent the day poking my butt to see if I could feel anything. Good thing I was working at home.

This weeks plan:
- Get to the pool and make sure swimming to doesn't hurt.
- Put Speedster on the trainer and see if I can sit comfortably for 30 minutes.
- Kickoff on Saturday. Woohoo!

Starting Over

Today I ran 3 miles on Crissy Field! First time out on the open road, and longest distance in 6 months. It was slow and painful, and I was counting down the minutes until completion. I was happy that I managed to run 3 miles, but the world was moving by me awfully slow. Dogs were doing triple laps around me, and I barely passed a speed-walker. Ah such are the humbling lessons of getting back in to shape.

I have finally talked myself down off the Half Iron man cliff. After having a few rough physical therapy sessions and realizing we would be on vacation for 2 weeks, thereby missing 3 weekends of training, I decided it would be wise to stick to the Olympic distance at Wildflower. I really wanted to push myself to do the longer distance, but realized I will have plenty of pushing just to get myself back into decent shape. There will always be more race in my future.

On the upside, my ass seemed to hold up fine during the run!

The Best 2 Miles Ever

The gym was crowded and stinky, but I found a treadmill with my name on it. I walked briskly for about 5 minutes. OK, feeling fine, no pain. I think I can do this.

Inched up the speed to a 12 min mile. No pain yet. Legs are moving fine. Heart rate is increasing slowly.

Had to take of my glasses (still have the stupid eye infection), so couldn't really see.

Increased the speed slowly to a level where I wasn't pushing myself, but definitely in the cardio zone. Ran for 2 miles, and it felt pretty amazing. I loved sweating. I loved feeling that I was using my muscles. I loved moving my arms in that rhythmic way. I loved listening to my ipod and getting lost in the repetition. I even loved how it was boring and monotonous and I wanted it to be over. Seriously, it was such a great feeling!

After 2 miles of running, I cooled down a bit and then put my glasses back on. Thrilled at how well it went, I looked at the workout summary. Apparently, I was running a lightening speed of 11:06/mile. Oye. Well, you have to start somewhere. Even that little bit of disappointment couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I walked home.

2009 and Feelin' Fine(ish)

I'm back! After 6 months of complete and utter inactivity due to an injury, I am about to set off on my first workout of 2009. It has been a long and windy six months. Here are the highlights:

• 7/08 - Broke my tailbone from stress fracture on my bike
• 8/08 - Continued to ignore the injury and completed the Tour d'Organics, a 66 mi ride through wine country with Pam
• 8/08 - After strapping 3 ice packs on my ass, sleeping with a heating pad, and applying cream to my ass that smelled like Ben-gay, I decided I should stop exercising. (Always the smart one, I am).
  
• 9/08 - 12/08 - Dropped my trousers for a cajillion and half medical types. Got 2 X-ray, 2 MRIs, and a lot of needles, drugs, poking and prodding.
  
• 9/08 - Purchased Tush Cush. Tried to hide it on the bus.
  
• 10/08 - Embraced Tush Cush. Carried it like a purse. Used it at bars around SF.
  
• 11/08 - Started taking Fermented Cod Fish Live Oil and Butter Fat as part of treatment.
• 11/08 - Started getting eye infections. Everything is blurry. Can't drive. Got super cute hair cut and new glasses.
  
• 12/08 - Received 2nd Tush Cush as Xmas gift! Score!
• 1/09 - Green light to try swimming and running again. Speedster (my bike) sits in the backroom looking very lonely and sad.

One of the doctors warned me that if I start exercising too early I will likely start having chronic pain for the rest of my life. The other doctor said it was probably safe to try out swimming and running slowly. See how it goes.

This would probably be a fine approach, but in my ever optimistic state of mind, I signed up to be a mentor for the spring TNT tri season. So I'm sort of committed. . . . But it's still a 3 weeks until kick off and probably 5 weeks before I really need to be on my bike. . . . As I write this, warning bells are going off in my head.

So here I am, sitting on Tush Cush #2 on the sofa, wearing spandex for the first time in 5 months, and feeling a little wary about heading to the gym. But 2009 is a clean slate, and with a nod to my running mantra, I'm off (to the treadmill) one step at a time.