Monday, June 20, 2011

See Just How A Duck Runs!


Pictures from the race...

A Day Off, A Door Closed, and Dulce De Leche.

Today was a post-race day off from working out.  I had to arrange to move my belongings into a storage unit and turn the trailer over to my new old boss.  We had to get all the work done before she got on a plane and they were to cheap to hire professionals.  They wanted me to find friends to do the heavy lifting, short notice.  I called everyone but that was not happening.  MAYBE because normal people do not need to move on such short notice (like "Hi, can you come in 30 mins?")  Oh, I am so bitter.

Afterwards, I was feeling so sorry for myself that I caved in while shopping and bought two of the mini servings of Dulce De Leche ice cream.  (Ok, Ok, I got a bunch of salad and good stuff too!!!)  I got home and promptly ate it. 

Did I mention that I had been suspicious of my ability to tolerate dairy and sugar so had cut them out of my diet?  I did it as an experiment.  Experiment successful.  I may as well have ingested arsenic.  I spent the rest of the afternoon sick as a dog.

Perhaps the next time I am feeling sorry for myself, I will book a massage. 

Ugh!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Lost Duck!

TODAY I RAN MY FIRST TRIATHLON!!

Now for a race report....

I raced with my friend JS who is wicked fast.  Fast enough to have sponsors.  She is kind of a gazelle but she's pretty awesome so she's allowed on these pages.  She helped me set up my transition area and was right there for me all the way up to the start of the race.  BIG shout out to JS!! 

Then she raced in the elite group (those crazy fast folks that win these things) and placed third.  She went off in the first wave and I went off in the last with the First Timers division.  I saw her leave the water and head for the bike and then it was time for me to get ready.  Kept control of the nerves... amazingly!  As they were counting down, I started my watch.  Apparently, starting a watch is the hardest part of a triathlon.  I pushed the button too many times and when the starter went off, I was pushing buttons.  I ended up surrounded by swimmers and was never able to find any swimming space.  I finished behind where I would have liked but in one piece. 

I headed up to the bike transition but there was a loooong sand run getting there.  The old foot didn't like that much so I had to walk/jog it.  Spent a very long time (sat down, had a sandwich, knitted a sweater) getting on my bike.  But once I was on it, I took off like a Duck out of Hell!!  I steadily passed riders for five miles and was feeling pretty froggy.  AAANND... then I took a wrong turn.  After I realized what I had done, I returned to the course and assumed I had been disqualified.  Nonetheless, I was angry.  I bolted off in zoom mode and re-passed entirely too many riders.  I finished the bike feeling strong and still pretty angry. 

I dawdled less at T2, but still managed to take twice as long as JS (did she freakin' fold space/time?).  I headed off on the run but about a mile into it there was a stretch of grass and sand that had gotten a little deep.  By halfway through, my foot felt like there were knives in it.  I had promised RW that I would go easy if I felt pain.  I figured I'm disqualified anyhow so I walked a while, jogged a bit walked some more, stopped and stretched it out... twice.  Then jogged to the finish line and crossed it feeling a dose of that personal pride that comes with finishing your first Tri, no matter how badly you performed.

When I got done, I checked the results to confirm that I was, in fact, disqualified.  I wasn't.  I was in sixth place.  Seriously?!?!?!  If I had known, I might have gotten out of "mosey" and run a little.  Of course that probably would have been a huge setback in my training, so it's probably just as well.  Silver lining, perhaps.

On a personal note... I was waiting for some work to be done on my car so that I could drive to California and start my new job.  Except that on Friday (after I moved out of my apartment, after I forwarded my mail, after I said goodbye and told everyone out west I was coming, after I bought a vehicle to use BUT before I actually started working, yeah... so thrilled), they pulled the plug and fired me.  So now I am not moving to CA.  Instead, I am staying in Florida, working the horse shows on the road and going to pursue the necessary education to start a career in the fitness industry.  Diet and exercise has changed my life and I would love to spend my days helping other people discover the joy of a full and vital life!!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

RACING THIS WEEKEND!!!!

Well folks... I was supposed to leave for California on the 1st.  Unfortunately, my car died and needed a proper burial.  The only obvious solution was to purchase a new one.  I did that.  THAT car lasted 12 hours.  I still have not left for California.  I spent ten days in a hotel before my friend/teammate took mercy on me and moved me into her spare room.  Since then, it has been a crash course on living with children.  And I thought triathlon was a challenge!!

Actually, her kids are a delightful pair, intelligent, friendly and a constant source of entertainment.  The other morning I stumbled down the stairs with only one though percolating in my grey matter..... coffee.  I was greeted by a bright and shiny child who was, ahem, in need of a wipe.  I'll leave the rest of the sordid details to the imagination.  I stopped on the stairs, blinked several times like a startled deer, and ran up to find Mommy.  "Mommy" was out on a ten mile run... I was on my own to solve the crisis at hand.  Coffee (whimper) would have to wait.  I am a better person and, as with most of life's challenges, finished thinking that it was really not as difficult as expected.  Consider this duck broken in!

This weekend I am going to run my first triathlon.  I am poorly prepared as I only started back running recently, but the opportunity to run my first race with friends ("Mommy" in particular) and in this lovely state was too good to pass up.  Life lately has been a series of missed races so I decided to go for it.  RW has instructed me to go very easy on the run, walking if necessary, to avoid re-injury.  I will do my best to keep that in the forefront of my mind.  I did an indoor tri session today and got a different water bottle on the bike.  It's all lubed up and ready to go.  The race is four days away and really... butterflies already?

Tail feathers up duck!!  It's time to quit talkin' and start tri-in'!