"I split my pants!!"

It seems that the only time you really see somebody split their pants wide open is in a movie or sit-com, and for some reason it is always funny, mostly because it is not happening to you. 

My sister was dealing with a great deal of drama recently because she was going to be attending an afternoon wedding and just couldn't decide what to wear, she finally decided on a turquoise shirt, white pants and chocolate brown toenails, the outfit was amazing!  She thought that the older white pants might be a bit tight and didn't feel all that comfortable so she went and bought herself a roomier pair. The day of the wedding arrives and she puts on her fantastic outfit and heads to the wedding.  Becasue it was an afternoon wedding she thought she needed to put a little bit of sunscreen on her son, when she bent down her pants split half way up her rear end!  Fortunately she had the "too tight" pair of pants in her car so the outfit was saved.  Needless to say she is signing up to do a Half Iron with me next year!  She is not chubby, I think the pants were just defective but I am really excited that she and I will be racing together!

Have a happy day!

How do you keep from getting bored?

My boss asked me this question yesterday and I asked him to clarify what he meant, he said "you trained for an Ironman, how did you keep from getting bored when you were training?  My daughter is training for a 5K and she is so bored she can't stand it!"  I can honestly say that I didn't really have an answer for him, sure I have my moments when I am bored but they seem to pass quickly, I kinda like the time that I spend with myself and my thoughts.  His statement made me think about comments that other people have made about running and how the boredom is what derails them from their training.  Maybe that is one of the things that sets those who run (or bike or swim) apart from everyone else, were all okay with the time we spend alone, maybe we even relish it on occasion!

To finish the story I told him that I really didn't have an answer because I didn't really get bored all that often.  My co-worker then had to pipe in with "come on, we all know B Sue Fly is a bit unique, do you really want to know how or why she does the things she does?!"  It was said with love because she is a good friend of mine but it did make me think...it also made me smile, because deep down inside I like that maybe I am a bit left of center and I am really okay with that!

Have a happy day!

Ironman Blues? Not so far...

I have not experienced any of the "Ironman Blues" that I have read about, I am thankful for that!  I had few days where I felt a little blah but nothing that was of concern.  I think part of being able to avoid feeling like that is that I have an olympic distance triathlon that I am looking forward to in August, so I think that is helping.

Speaking of olympic distance tri's, my husband and I are signed up for the same August triathlon and he has proposed a wager...but he is also proposing that I give him a 10 minute handicap.  His logic is that because I have completed an Ironman and he has only completed a sprint triathlon that surely I am faster than him.  Let's get something straight here, I may have crossed the finish line, but I surely didn't do it quickly! I am pretty sure that I am being dupped :-)  I am going to agree to the wager because I think it will be fun and you never know what will motivate you, I may find that I am far more competitive than I ever thought I was!

I guess I better start doing a little more training or it is going to be painful! 

Have a happy day!

I am still being partially lazy...

It's been almost 3 weeks since my Ironman and while I have done a few workouts I am still being a bit lazy...I didn't get out of bed until 8:50 this morning, that is unheard of!  I literally cannot remember when the last time was that I slept in that late, the crazy part about it is that I am still a bit sleepy!  My mom thinks I am still trying to catch up from my quest on June 27th, I am going to agree with her for now but we will see..

I keep getting the question "Are you going to get an Ironman tattoo?" I am beginning to think I am the only person who hasn't even contemplated an IM tattoo!  I did put a 140.6 sticker on my back window of my car, that counts right?!?!

After falling off the vegetarian bandwagon hardcore after Ironman I am working hard to get back to my blissful, meatless lifestyle.  One thing that my crazy cheeseburger craving told me is that I need to eat better, just because I am not eating meat doen't mean that I am a healthy eater.  My quest is to find better sources of protein.  Made a great salad with cabbage, pea pods, red and yellow bell peppers, petite peas and carrots with an asian inspired dressing, it was really good!  I am actually dreaming about eating more of it but have come to the conclusion that even salad in excess can be a bad thing, especially cabbage salad!

Have a happy day!

I am an IRONMAN!!!

WOW!  Hard to believe that after a three year journey toward this goal it is now achieved, what next?  I guess I should post a race report first!  :-)

I should probably go back to the weekend before the race, the whole family got the stomach flu, yuck!  Many tears were shed between bouts of being sick.  My mom told me that everything happens for a reason and that I just needed to focus on healing my body rather than worrying about the coming weekend, so I listened to my mom, thanks mom!  I still had trouble eating all week, I think I converted from sick to nervous and never quite got back to feeling completely normal, but I think nervous is to be expected.

Thursday night my husband gave me a DVD that he had made for me for inspiration, it was AWESOME!!  It was a bunch of pictures that he had taken of me while training set to the song "Something in the air tonight" by Phil Collins, it was really perfect!  Then it transitioned to photos that my friends and family had taken of themselves holding signs of encouragement for me, it almost makes me cry thinking about it while I write, it was so very cool, thank you JP!!

So we headed to Coeur d'Alene on Friday morning, I dilly dallied around the house trying to avoid leaving for as long as I could until finally my husband told me that we REALLY needed to get on the road!  Once we got to Cd'A the town was rocking, the park was filled with athletes and families and a really great vibe!  I headed over to check in and pick up my race packet...holy cow this is really happening!!  We settled in to relaxation mode for the next day and a half, this included a few naps.  Saturday night we ate pasta, watched the video once or twice and tried to hit the hay early, I was surprised by how well I slept that night!

Sunday morning, I woke up on my own at 4:45 and headed downstairs to make a smoothie, eat some oatmeal and drink a little coffee.  Nothing was going down very easily and I didn't eat nearly as much as I should have but, oh well!  We headed to the park to drop off our special needs bags, pump up our bike tires and get body marked.  I started to settle down, the gun was going off in 45 minutes no matter what, I might as well enjoy myself!  I head back to the house, got my hair braided and put on my wetsuit, also at the house are my dad and brother-in-law who are racing with me, the mood is pumped!

We hit the beach, I ate a huckleberry Hammer Gel and waited for the gun...BANG!  I started my watch and held back a bit, blew a kiss, hit the water and started to stroke.  I had a little trouble putting my face in the water at first but I just kept moving forward, not fast, but forward!  I finished the first lap in 58 minutes, dang, I really wanted it to be faster!  I started the second lap and I was FREEZING!  There were a couple of moments that I didn't think I was going to be able to finish...I pushed that out of my head and started to stroke harder to try to warm up.  The waves were picking up and I felt like I was swimming in an endless pool!  I checked my watch at the second turn buoy and figured that I was going to make it with time to spare, YES!!  I hit the beach in 2:04 but I was super cold, I went to the warming tent and spent 24 minutes trying to get warm, this is where is gets good though...my volunteer was none other than SISTER MADONNA BUDER!!!  I knew that this was a awesome omen and that the day was going to be a great one!  When I finally emerged from the tent my sister and JP were there, we all that this would help to carry me through my tough times during the day. :-) 

I made it out of transition with 2 minutes to spare!  I didn't plan to cut it so close but there was nothing I could do about it now!  I had a plan for the bike, 10 miles at a time, switch out my water bottle at each aid station and sip perpetuem in between; I had a second bottle of perpetuem and a sandwich in my special needs bag.  I tend to gulp a lot of water when I swim so I typically carry Gas-X with me, I felt a few pains hit me high in my stomach so I reach for my Gas-X, uh-oh I forgot it, this is not good!  On to plan B, wait, I don't have a plan B, this could be painful and it was!  All I can think about is my sandwich in my special needs bag, once I get there I will be fine, so I press onward.  I hit the 56 mile mark in about 3:30, I can ease up a bit on loop 2 but not much, my plan is going pretty well.  I finally hit the special needs bags and at this point I cannot seem to force myself to eat but I continue drinking water and have water belly really bad. I see the fan club again, that is such a great feeling when you are out there by yourself!  I hit the 4th aid station (for the second time) and know that I am home free barring any mechanical problems, so I am on cloud nine as I ride those last 16 miles!  About 4 miles out I sit up on my bike and try to starting stretching my legs and back a bit for the run.  I hit T2 in 7:29, I am very pleased with my time and know that I have the finish in my sites, if my stomach will just cooperate!

If you can believe this, I again have the good fortune to have Sister Madonna as my volunteer, I am truly blessed!  Another volunteer comes up to help and sends the sister over to a woman who was in really bad shape, she ended up being carried out of the tent by the medics, I feel extremely fortunate to only be dealing with stomach cramps!  I see a friend of my dads who is a nurse and a medical volunteer (I have to add that she finished the race in 2009), we talked about my stomach, what is the first question she asks me...do I have any Gas-X!  She is a little bit concerned that I haven't gone to the bathroom but feels that I have had enough water through out the day to be okay.  She wants me to make sure to take my endurolytes and drink some chicken broth on the run to make sure I am doing okay with my salts and electrolytes.  I take two endurolytes and took two every hour through out the run.  I come out of the tent in 17 minutes, man I need to work on my transition time!  My husband, mom, sisters, uncle, aunt, and in-laws are there to cheer me on, I was so HAPPY to see them, Ironman is a long and lonely day!  I saw many family and friends along the run course it was so AWESOME!

My run plan was to run as much of the first lap as I could and then walk/run (or ralk as my sister calls it).  My stomach hurt but I was surprised by how very good my legs felt!  I sipped on cola and broth in the hope that there was a magic stomach cure, there wasn't, so I pushed the cramps out of my mind and just tried to focus on finding a good sustainable pace.  I saw my training partner at mile 13 and I got a good talking to, she said that the race was all mental now and that I could do it physically, I just needed to keep my head in the game.  She also sternly told me that I HAD to eat, even if it was just half a gel every mile.  I had a sandwich in my special needs bag and forced myself to eat it, it took me 3 miles but I got it down, I am pretty sure that my body used up the calories in about 3 minutes and wanted more.  I ate a few banana pieces and some oranges but nothing would sit well.  At this point I met a new friend named Lesley, she was awesome and I knew that I found a comrade to finish the race with!  We forced ourselves to run small jaunts but after awhile my stomach wouldn't even allow that.  She kept me moving when I though I was going to vomit and I so appreciate it! 

We hit the run turn around with 30 minutes to spare and got our heads in the game. All we had to do now was maintain our pace and we would hit the finish chute at about 11:30pm, slower than I had hoped but still fast enough to be called an Ironman!  With less than 2 miles to go I see my husband (he was like Waldo, all day he just kept popping up and giving me encouragement), he walked with us for a little bit and then took off so he could be at the finish.  We finally made it to Sherman Avenue and it is a straight shot to the finish, HOLY COW, I am going to do this!!  Lesley and I have a conversation as to who gets to cross the finish line first since we are in the same division, I tell her to cross first, she was an angel to me!  We decided to cross together, until I saw one of my best friends and stopped to hug her, her husband had finished the race about 5 hours before and she stayed out there for me.  I hit the finish chute and high-fived anybody that I could, that is an AMAZING feeling, truly one of the most amazing feelings ever!!!

I crossed the finish line in 16 and a half hours, I gathered my medal, my finishers hat and shirt, got my picture taken and started hugging everybody, my mom was one of the first people I saw, she grabbed me and said "I am SO proud of you" and gave me the biggest hug, I look up and JP is right next to her, I get another huge hug!  My dad who had finished an hour earlier was there and then I see my mother-in-law and aunt, more big hugs!  What a feeling, thinking about it now brings all kinds of emotions to the surface, I am still not sure if it as sunk in!

I had a sore hip and was still nauseated the next day but recovered surprisingly fast!  I said when I finished that I was never going to do that again; I think I lied, I am already thinking about the next time...I think I am insane!

I know that not many people will read this but I still feel like I need to shout to the world about what a great family I have!!  My husband was such a great sport through out this journey and my family and friends were Ironfans all day while I was out there, I am truly blessed!  Thank you JP!!!!!!

2 days until Ironman!!

Oh Dear!  I haven't kept up with my promise to document my last month, it has been a bit overwhelming!  I got a ferocious stomach bug last weekend and I am still a bit weak from that; the good news is those last 5 pounds I wanted off before the race are gone!

I have had some of the craziest dreams, ones that you would expect; I am at the start and I don't have my wetsuit, the swim has been changed from Coeur d'Alene lake to a meandering stream and only one person can swim at a time.  But the one that left me scratching my head and chuckling was the one where all the Pros had to do their swim in large washing machines and they were all complaining that the water was polluted!  Where did that come from?!?!

All in all I think I am ready!  I have had my demons to wrestle, self doubt, fear, terror(!), but at the end of the day I can usually rationalize it all and remind myself that I have done the work, now I just need to do the race! I also have an amazing husband, family and friends who are all so supportive and encouraging, my husband made me an inspirational video that is just amazing!  When I have my dark times out on the course I know everybody will be lifting me up in spirit and that will help to carry me along. 

We head to Cd'A this morning, I will pick up my race packet, go for an open water swim and probably spend too much money at the Expo!  Andy Potts is racing in Cd'A so I will also be on the lookout for him, he's one of my favorites!

Here's hoping the next time you hear from me I will have heard the words "B SUE FLY, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

Have a happy day!

32 Days until Ironman, Yikes!!!

Okay, just a quick post.  I swam 3000 yards yesterday with the pull buoy, my lats and triceps were sore today, the good kind of sore, the kind of sore that tells you you worked hard but not so sore that you can't move.  I swim 3500 straight tomorrow, should be interesting, I have to travel out of town for work so I found a 24 hour fitness that has a pool near my hotel, nice!  It will be nice to just swim without having to get back to work or home, I can just swim for as long as it takes me, then head back to my hotel and nap!

Another quick mention; I love, love, love The Biggest Loser!  All of the contestants are so inspiring and look so amazing, and that is all I have to say about that!  Go Daris!!

Have a happy day!

It's been waaaayyyyyyyy too long!

So I have been a bad blogger lately; but while I have been a bad blogger I would like to think I have been a good wife, mother, friend, employee, gardener, traveler, vegetarian, biker, runner, swimmer, crasher, you name it, I think I have been it! 

My Ironman training continues to go well, I am struggling mentally with all of it but have persevered.  I think that the training is why I have not had the energy to blog, I truly don't even log on to my computer most nights.  I am going to try to re-commit to my blog because I have been experiencing a whole host of emotions that I need to document, I want to remember how I am feeling with only 34 days until race day!  Right now I am fairly calm, I got to have the day off  which is always good for the soul, so what did I do on my day off?  I made cupcakes of course!  I am posting a picture of my cupcake because it makes me laugh.  I have the "Hello, Cupcake" book and love it, I have made a number of the cupcakes in the book with a reasonable degree of success, today, however was an utter failure!  My oldest child will be doing a report on great white sharks tomorrow so we thought we would make cupcakes that looked like sharks coming out of the water, what we got was something between the Alien and a happy dolphin laying on top of the water.  All I know is that the kids and the hubby thought that they tasted great and the kids in the class are getting schools of fish that they can pretend to be great while sharks while eating, I am pretty sure that  class of second graders won't care!

I hope the photo make you laugh the way that it makes me laugh!

Have a happy day!
B Sue fly

I'm glad I wore my old shoes!

Snow, slush, mud, rain, you name it we saw it!  The picture I posted is of my feet when I got home, it doesn't show how wet they are, but you can see the snow (sort of!), I was really glad I put my old shoes on, I just had a feeling that we were going to see some undesireable elements :-).  The weather was far from optimal but I have to say it was a really great run; you see, I got to run with JP, and that doesn't happen all too often.  So, we ran together (I chased him a bit) and chatted, I feel lucky that we share the endurance training hobby.  Because we are parents we don't get to train together very often, so when the stars align and we get to go out together I consider it a treat.  We stayed together for about 45 minutes and then I cut off and headed home.  Once I was on my own without anybody to talk to I could really take time to concentrate on my form, pay attention to everything around me (slick sidewalks for instance), and truly enjoy the experience.  There is something empowering about a run through the snow, even when cars would drive by and spray up slush and muck, I just had to smile because I felt so great today! 

I am struggling with my eating, I don't think I am getting enough protein, I will change that this week, I just have to figure out how...

On a side note, my girlfriend asked my to consider entering a "Masters Swimming Meet", apparently there is a 1650 yard open swim that she thinks I should consider.  My original thought was "NO WAY!" but then she made a good point, almost every triathlete thinks nothing of entering a running race or a cycling race but nobody ever enters a swimming race, it might not be such a bad thing to swim for time, I am seriously going to consider it, coming in last in a swim race would be no different than coming in last in a running race, right?  That made my stomach flip, I am pretty sure that in a running race I won't come in last, maybe in the last 3rd, but not last, in a swimming race you can almost bet I will come in last, I am slow, slow and slow.  Anyway, it is somehting I am considering, we will see how it actually pans out.

My numbers for the week:
Biking     75 miles
Running   19 miles
Swim       1600 yards
Hours     8.7

Have a happy week!

Run Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste!

My new bike has officially been named Shadowfax.  I was watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (I love those movies) and as Gandolf and Merry took off for Gondor on Shadowfax (king of the horses, I know, I am a dork) I was madly pedaling away on my new bike and it got me thinking...my bike is is white just like Shadowfax and I hope it will show me the meaning of haste, just like Shadowfax, it had to be a sign (yes, I know that I am stretching here :-)).  I am still loving my bike, I am still trying to figure out the "lady bit" issue but it is getting better.

I have be successful in getting out of bed early this week, it sucks in the morning but man-o-man, it is AWESOME at noon when I don't have to go to the gym (I avoid that whenever possible) and is is ESPECIALLY awesome when I come home and I don't have to even think about working out after dinner.  I really hope I can keep this up and create a new habit, a GOOD habit!!

Tonight I made a really good new dinner, I wish I had taken a picture of it because it turned out really good and kind of pretty.  It was called Butterflies with Chickpeas-quick and sooooo easy, 20 minutes start to finish, it would have been quicker if the pasta would have cooked quicker!  Here is the recipe:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 plump garlic clove, minced
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups chick peas or 1 15oz can, rinsed
8 ounces farfalle
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan or pecorino Romano
1/2 cup bread crumbs toasted in the oven

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet with the garlic, parsley, and pepper flakes.  Add the chickpeas and 1/2 cup water and simmer over medium.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta to package directions.  Drain and add it to the chickpeas.  Toss taste for salt and season as necesary.  Serve covered with a sprinking of the cheeses and/or the toasted bread crumbs. Delicious!

Tomorrow is an hour run and a 2000 yard swim, I suspect I am going to be tired tomorrow night, lucky for me the in-laws will have the kids, I might sleep in on Saturday, nah I want to get my bike ride out of the way and go to Costco!

Have a happy night!

another morning workout on the books!

I hauled my butt out of bed at 5:30 and got my workout done by 7:00am, woo hoo! I am not a morning person, so it is really a challenge trying to reset my internal clock to not only get out of bed that early but to also get my body moving at a speed of approximately 12 mph. I am getting faster in the morning, keep in mind I say faster NOT fast :-) 

It is Tuesday, so I am very excited to watch The Biggest Loser tonight, that is one of my favorite shows on TV, in fact, it is the only show that I actually watch on the night that it airs and almost in real time, I love it!  While I was running this morning I was watching the local morning news and I saw a preview for tonight's episide, it looks interesting.  I wonder what the red team is up to?  JP and I are sitting here discussing what we think is going to happen, I personally think that the red team is going to dump a huge amount of weight this week and still try to say that she didn't throw the past two weigh ins-I think we have a new "villian."  I know, I am such a dork sitting here discussing strategy on TBL but I am who I am, sue me.

I will hopefully be swimming later, it will be so nice to be completely done with both workouts today before 1:30pm, I hope I have the energy!!

Have a fantastic Tuesday!

last day of my taper week :-(

I am sad because today my taper week ends :-(  I'm not really sad but I have really struggled with almost every workout this week; well, I guess that is only about half true but still, it has been a tough week :-).  I cannot believe that the intensity will ramp up again and that I still have 23 weeks of training ahead of me, oy!  I know that this is just a blip on the radar and after a day off tomorrow (and a massage!) I will get my groove back.

I woke up this morning with a crazy pain in my right elbow, I can think of nothing that I could have done except perhaps sleep in some crazy contorted position that could have done this.  I had really bad leg cramps in the middle of the night last night so I suspect that I was most likely thrashing about and therefore not particularly nice to myself.  I have been very bad this week with my swimming (ie. I have not been to the pool all week) so I know that is not it.  Oh well, my massage therapist should be able to help be straighten that out as well, along with everything else, in case you cannot tell I am really excited to see Tom (massage therapist) tomorrow!

I have noticed that some people have a workout tracker on their blogs, I cannot figure out how to do that so I am going to post what my weekly totals look like on Sundays, it will give me good perspective for the coming week.

This week's workout totals
Biking     59 miles
Running   24 miles
Hours     8.3

I am going to try a recipe for homemade Lara bars that I found on another blog, "I Tri to Be Me" I am really excited, I LOVE Lara Bars especially the Cherry Pie bar, hopefully I will have a favorable report soon!

Have a fabulous Sunday!!

Music to workout by...

I am not really someone who listens to a lot of music when I work out, but occasionally I do, and sometimes I NEED it to get through a workout.  If I am running or riding outside I never need music, occasionally when I am on the treadmill at home I will use it, but when I am at the gym I HAVE to have it.  The funny part about it is that I listen to music that is completely foreign to what I would normally listen to, for instance yesterday, I was using my Pandora app and I listened to Beyonce(!), and Ne Yo(!) but  it was Britney Spears "Womanizer" that actually got me going, really?  Britney Spears?  Now don't get me wrong, I will listen to Justin Timberlake pretty much anytime and anywhere but not Britney, it was kind of crazy, but I tell you what, Britney is going to be added to my list because it was a great pace song and I really enjoyed listening to it, of course when I was going to bed I kept singing, Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, you you you ah, you you you ah, a Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer, womanizer...oh great, now I feel like listening to it but I do not feel like working out, this could be a bad sign...

Any other good workout songs out there?  I need a few that are upbeat, fun to listen to that have a good pace :-)

60 minute spin at 100+ RPM's

I had a good workout this morning, it was just an easy spin at 100+ RPM's per minute and my heart rate in Zone 1-2.  I had a tough night last night, up for a few hours with a bad stomach, this is day 3 of the stomach problem and I am getting a bit tired of it, I felt good while riding and now the ache is back, hmmmm.

My new bike is feeling better, I am working out the issues with the seat and the "lady parts", my new seat is not a ladies seat so it doesn't have the cut outs that my last seat had and I am sure that has a lot to do with the issues that I am grappling with.  I have a 2 hour ride on Saturday so hopefully some of the minor modifications that I am making will make a difference.  I hope that the weather holds and I can ride outside, this unseasonably warm weather is so nice for training, I love it!!

I am trying to find a good vegetarian cookbook, one that is realistic and doesn't have 600 ingredients per recipe, I know that I want flavor but really who keeps that many ingredients in their house, maybe I need to, we will see!

Have a happy Thursday!

My legs are dead, dead I tell you!

It is a taper week, I don't know what I would do if it wasn't, I am barely hanging on here!  Not only are my legs halfway to dead but everytime I run I feel like I am going to puke, I have no idea what is going on.  So, last night I needed to get in a 60 minute run, I had to do the run on the treadmill because it was late and way too dark to go outside, 30 minutes in my stomach starts acting up and my legs don't want to go any further.  So I start walking a minute every 10 minutes, that was the plan anyway...I then had to walk every 5 minutes, then every three minutes and the running that I was doing in between could hardly be called running, it was more of a strange shuffle, I am pretty sure I looked a bit like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was so absurd I actually laughed at myself!  The good news is that I made it through and I know that I can get through a little adversity on a run.  My brick today was more of the same, I felt like I needed to vomit about a tenth of a mile into the run, oh well.  Hopefully this will pass soon.

On a completely unrelated note, 30 Rock was so funny last week, I just caught up on the DVR'd shows and I was laughing so I hard I had tears in my eyes and I even snorted once, "I'd like you all to meet Tom, Tom Selleck", so funny,  I can't believe that it didn't win the Golden Globe!  I enjoy Glee too, but come on!!!

Initial review of the new Tri Bike!

I am writing this review of my new bike because I am super excited and also because I searched high and low and could not find a single review online for the 2009 Kestrel Talon Tri.  Yes, I got last years model (better price) plus I liked the color more, black and white v. black and red :-)  I had a huge personal debate as to whether or not I should get a road bike or a tri bike, in talking with the bike shop we decided that a tri bike was the way that I should go because that is what I do, I do triathlons, I don't do bike races, I don't go out for rides that aren't training rides, so we settled on the tri bike.  He did all kinds of measurements and then I finally got to ride the bike so we could start tweaking my position on the bike. I did not get set up in a super aggressive position, definitley more aggressive than before but not so aggressive so that I feel like I am going to go over the top of my handle bars. 

I was able to take it for a ride yesterday!!  I struggled through some initial frustrations, I felt like I weighed 500 pounds and all of the pressure was on my lady bits, I felt like I wanted to cry, so I got off the bike, had some coffee, had some lunch, relaxed a bit and then got back on much better!  Road trips always exhaust me, I don't know what I was thinking trying to get on the bike right after getting out of the car, I was just so excited though!  I was able to ride 2.5 hours on the trainer (too much rain and cold outside) and I averaged 17.97 miles per hour.  I still need to get used to the new saddle but that will come with time (oh how I hope that it comes sooner than later!).  The bike itself weighs about 3 pounds less than my other one, and definitely feels smaller when I move it around.  I cannot wait to get to ride it outside to really get a feel for how different it is.  I will write a real review once I get that chance.

The photos I posted are the before and after, you can see on the second photo the difference in the geometry of the tri bike v. the road bike. 

On a somewhat related note, because of the road trip and everything else this weekend, I missed my Saturday run.  I became very grumpy and aggitated on Saturday afternoon and couldn't figure out why, I was on the edge and it finally occurred to me that my poor body had no idea how to get rid of all of the pent up energy!  Unfortunately I had forgotten my running shoes, I won't do that again!  Even though it is supposed to be a rest day today, I will be hitting the trail!

Happy Monday!

I actually got out of bed for a morning run!!

I cannot believe I actually did it, I got up at 5:30 and went for an hour and fifteen minute morning run, unbelievable!!  The run was extremely slow (slower than usual) but who cares, it was a first step and it felt pretty darn good.  I think I have a pretty good attitude most of the time but I really think the morning run contributed to a really great day!  Now I just need to get up early enough to have some coffee before the run, it's funny, I drink 75% decaf coffee, so I am pretty sure the coffee is just a mental thing but I guess I man mental because I NEED my morning coffee!

I didn't make it to the pool at lunch because I got an email that my bike is in and that I needed to come and get it fit.  Tomorrow my new baby will be coming home with me, oh my goodness what have I done?!?!  I am so excited and a little nervous, but so excited!

On an eating note, I have made spring roles everyday this week and I thought I had a few leftover in the fridge, none were there, Neuman!!  What a bummer, I don't mean to toot my own horn but my spring roles kick some serious A!  I am going to have to make up a few because I am jonesing (sp?) for some.

I will post a report on the new bike after I have riden it and probably crashed once or twice :-)

Nothing much to report

It has been a quiet week, training has gone well, I had a excellent swim on Tuesday, great brick yesterday, figured out Pandora on my iphone during my spin today, had friends over for dinner; all in all, a good week!

Tomorrow, I think I will get my bike, it might be on Saturday but it looks like I will be riding a new bike for my ride this weekend, crazy.  I am kind of getting nervous about it.  I just want to be comfortable.  Is a tri set up the right way to go?  I have been agonizing on this point, yes, no, yes, no, I guess I will find out soon enough...  I think about spending 112 miles on the bike and the tri set up seems scary but I don't really know, I am TOTALLY over analyzing it!  I am babbling, I just have to stop, it is just that I am going to spend a lot of money and want it to be right!

On a side note, Ironmom posted a link to a great article for the age group triathlete, it is a must read and gives great perspective for somebody like me.  I am by no means a gunner but it helps to hear from "professionals" that when I cut things short or postpone a workout to hang with my family, that I am doing the right thing.  I am looking forward to reading parts 2 & 3!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I will post more on the bike once I ride it.

Ironman training-week 7

And this post has little to do with training, oh well!  I spent my weekend enjoying my family, playing with the kids, working out, reading and thinking about a new bike.  My focus was mainly on how we eat and how I am working very hard to "clean" things up.  I am having pretty good success so far, we are pretty close to meat free, I am feeling great and I think JP and the kids are coming around too!  JP actually commented to me tonight that he can't believe how good everything tastes, score one for me!  I have to say this and you can believe it or not but since I have switched to organics and fresh ingredients my food bill is actually going down, processed food is expensive and when you count the cost of what it does to your body, it is really expensive!  I will get off my soap box now, I am just really happy with how I am feeling, physically and mentally-it is an excellent feeling, no pharmaceuticals anymore for me. Tonight I made some spicy tofu, and spring rolls, I didn't quite have my chili garlic sauce to soy sauce ratio correct, it was REALLY spicy, it even made me sneeeze after my first bite; luckily it was just that bite that was super spicy!  I took a picture of the dinner because I thought it was pretty, the photo didn't come out nearly as good as I would have liked!

I am owning the fact that I am going to buy a new bike, it was a conspiracy all along between my dad, brother-in-law, and husband they ganged up on me and knew that I would cave in, turds!  It is going to be nice to ride a bike that fits me and my dad is going to buy my old bike to park in Kona, the bike that he currently rides while basking in the run is REALLY old so my old bike will be a step up.

It is going to be a good week, not really anything too exciting happening, I will be swimming tomorrow and embarrassing myself with my awful flip turns but I figure I have to practice to get better like anything else, I just appreciate that the lifeguards wait to laugh until I have my face back in the water :-).

The bliss I feel in 2010...

My excellent outlook was ever so slightly fractured yesterday.  Monday, I swear, I could not stop smiling, it was just one of those days, coming off of 12 days of vacation, everything felt right, even as I was driving home I was smiling, often times I have to listen to Laurie Birkner and think about my kids to get my spirits up.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think I am a Debbie Downer, it is just that sometimes work gets me down.  So anyway, yesterday, everything was making me a bit crazy, my boss was making me crazy, circumstances that I have no control over were making me crazy, people in administration were making me crazy, so crazy I ate four Lindor dark chocolate truffles, I am not usually a stress eater but I guess yesterday was a bit different.  I do not like feeling like that so I made the decision that today was going to be different, I had to oommmmm a few times and go to the gym to workout for an hour, but I felt better, I made a conscious choice not to let circumstances that are completely out of my control to make me crazy.  I only ate 2 truffles and gave the rest away to my co-workers, I will probably regret that tomorrow, but for now I feel good about it. 

So in 2010 when people do things that don't make sense, I pledge to take a deep breath and ooommmmmmm before I do anything, then I will remember that whoever made the crazy decision must have had a good reason and I just have to have faith that they know more than I do...this is where I put on my rose colored glasses.  I still have a job, my family is happy and healthy, I have a roof over my head, I am probably going to get a new bike, and I went to the store tonight and bought beautiful organic produce that I could afford; people might make me crazy but I could certainly have it a whole lot worse.  Tomorrow is another day that I am looking forward to; tomorrow, I pledge to make a difference, even if it is very small, to somebody somewhere, that might mean eating a cheese yummy, but I am okay with that.  I also pledge to learn the serenity prayer, I might need it!

The bike saga

so a few weeks ago I decided that I didn't need a new bike, my dad (and husband, and brother-in-law) do not agree with me, they all think I need a new bike.  You see it all started with the bike saga way back in 2007, I bought an entry level bike that was too big, so I have been rding on and modifying a 56 cm road bike for 2+ years, it is too big, I know that, but I just really don't want to spend the money.

So my dad takes me to the bike shop just to have them "fit" me, tell me what size bike I should have so they can keep an eye out for a good used bike, as it turns out I should have a 54 cm possibly a 52 cm frame, it is no wonder I am never comfortable on my bike!  Now I am completely tempted by the Kestrel Talon Tri bike (see the photo.)  I am trying to keep my head about me and not lose myself in a pretty new bike, but the idea of getting a new bike and being comfortable is really appealing.  This is compounded by the fact that my training partner got a new bike before last season and reminds me often that she had no idea it was possible to feel as good on a bike as she does now, it is not necessary to suffer. 

Well, for now I will continue to dream and contemplate and tune out my husband when he tells me I should just go ahead and buy the darn thing!  I'll keep you posted...

I took the Polar Bear Plunge, what?!?!?!?!?!?!

I have too much going on in my head, way too much!  I am really excited for 2010, the year has already started out great, aside from a head and chest cold that I am pretty sure I exacerbated with a  few of my New Year's activities!  We decided to go see my mom and dad for the new year since we had other family here for the Christmas holiday, so we packed up the car and headed to the P's house on New Year's eve.  We had a nice low key evening, my sister and her husband came over with their kids so it was cousinville, we didn't see anyone under the age of 8 all night, they were sure they were going to stay up until midnight, luckily for us they only made it to 10 so we could go to bed too!

I woke up late on New Year's day and learned about a fun run that has been held for the past 30 years, the "Hangover Handicap" 5 mile run was starting at 9:30 and they had day of race sign up, so I ate some breakfast, and headed downtown to get into the race.  It was slushy and cold but after about the first mile I was plenty warm and very excited to be out running, what a way to start the year!  My handicap was not a hangover but rather the fact that I din't have a cup of coffee before leaving the house!  When I got home, somebody got a crazy hair and we all decided to head down to the beach for the "Polar Bear Plunge," standing on the beach in 34 degree weather in a bathing suit would not normally be my idea of fun but at the sound of the horn I headed into the water with everybody else, plugged my nose and went under BUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRR!  Once we were standing on the beach again it didn't even feel cold!  My daughter wanted to do it too but I told her she didn't have enough body fat, I was shocked at the number of kids who jumped in, I don't think I am going to get away with saying no next year...

I told my mom as I was going to bed that I am really looking forward to 2010, 2009 was a very hard year, but I wouldn't take a single thing back, we learned more and did more than we have in previous years and with about half as much money.  My mom commented that I seem to be happier than I have been in a long time too, it is interesting what you can accomplish once you figure out your priorites and let go of much of the superfluous stuff that we all hang on to.  I love my life and my family and the freedom that I have found, 2010 is going to rock!