What a way to send out the old and ring in the new

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!!!!!

2012 Fitness Resolutions

Well, maybe not resolutions. They're goals, but since we're nearing the end of the year I thought I'd call them resolutions. Basically, these are things I'd really like to do in the next 12 months to shake up my routine a bit and make it, well, less routine.

Here they are, in no particular order:

- Try mountain biking
- Do an adventure race (preferably a longer one, 9-10 miles)
- Run a marathon
- Get to yoga at least once a week, if not twice a week
- Do an indoor triathlon
- Run more trails

Like how I slipped that marathon in there, hoping you wouldn't notice or comment about it? :)

Leave a comment and tell me your fitness goals for next year. I'd love to read them.

Well THAT was disappointing

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read any further unless you want to see who won the Biggest Loser.


Did anyone else think the Biggest Loser finale last night was odd? The reactions of the two winners -- at-home prize and grand prize -- were... off. Like not at all excited that they just won all that money.

First, Jennifer, the at-home prize winner. Her win seemed rushed by the network. Not her fault, to be sure. But it seemed like she was more concerned with flirting with Bob (honey, you have the WRONG equipment for him! give it up!) than with her win. I mean, if I had just won $100K, I would have been jumping up and down and screaming like a nut. But she just wanted to go straddle Bob. (Stalker much????)

And then John, the big winner. In full disclosure, I must admit that I was rooting for Antone from the first day. As the show went on, John became less and less likeable. So I was disappointed that he won. But again, after winning $250K and the title of the Biggest Loser, wouldn't you be more excited? He just looked like, "Yeah. Told you I'd win." Asshat.

Remind me again why I get sucked into this nonsense every season???

Chills

First you have to understand that Here Comes the Sun is hands down my favorite song of all time. Don't believe me? Read all about it here.

Then you have to see this pic, sent to me by my brother when he visited the Grammys Museum in LA last week.

My goosebumps have goosebumps right now. Amazing.

How to be the perfect man, part 1

Send this to your wife on a random Wednesday, just because.

Because I'm geeky like that...

I keep track of my workouts pretty religiously. When I was doing a lot of weight lifting, I would write down my max set (weight and reps) so I could track my progress. Rather than round up or down for a class I taught, my handwritten workout log would say something like "Step aerobics, 51 minutes." Never 50 minutes. 51, thankyouverymuch.

Now that I track my workouts online, it's much easier to chart yearly totals. For example, running. (This is totally not a hypothetical example. I already graphed it this morning, out of curiosity.)

I started running in 2005. Since then, I have run 4,859.5 miles. The breakdown is:

2005 - 708.6 miles
2006 - 601.6 miles
2007 - 594.0 miles
2008 - 886.5 miles*
2009 - 725.8 miles
2010 - 654.0 miles
2011 (to date) - 689.1 miles

Assuming about a 60 mile December, I'll be around 750 for the year. Not bad, I guess, considering I did one half marathon and way fewer races in general.

*Not surprisingly, my highest year was 2008. I'm not surprised because that was also the year that I lost a TON of weight (and looked damn good, if I may say so myself) and saw times on the track and in races I may never see again. Dare I say there's a direct correlation (for me at least) between total miles and paces? It sure seems like it.

What am I, nuts?

I have done one marathon in my life. It was on the bucket list, and I did it. At the time, I thought maybe I'd do a marathon every other year, and Andrew (IronEx aka Coach Andrew) would do Ironman races in the alternate years. Fun plan, right? Every year one of us would train and both of us would go to fun destinations to cheer for each other.

Except every time I tried to train for another marathon, I crapped out within the first few weeks. I soon realized that I really did not have the mental capacity to train for a marathon. Nor the interest, quite frankly. So instead, I started concentrating on triathlons, half marathons, and other fun stuff.

Except I know I could do better if I did another one.

No, nope, no thanks. Don't wanna.

Except yesterday I found this. And I can't stop thinking about it.


SAN DIEGO ROCK & ROLL MARATHON
June 2005

RACE RECAP

Waiting for the starting gun: Anxious, excited, and ready to go.

Still waiting: Sweet! One of my favorite songs is playing! (Right Here, Right Now by Fatboy Slim)

The gun!: It took 2 minutes to get to the start line, but once we got there we started a slow jog. There were so many people that we couldn’t go much faster at first. And awesomely, the song playing is now Beautiful Day by U2!

Mile 1: Feeling good! A little faster than I planned on going, but so far, so good.

Miles 2-4: Same as Mile 1. Feeling good, doing about 9:40 to 9:50 per mile.

Miles 5-8: Slowing down a little bit, but still feeling strong. This isn’t bad at all!

Miles 9-13: The crowd isn’t as thick, and we’re going at about my goal pace of 10 minutes per mile, maybe a little slower. Perfect.

Mile 13.1: Wow! Halfway done! Right now we’re at 2:13:56. If we keep up this pace, I’ll meet my dream goal of 4.5 hours!

Miles 14-18: It’s starting to hurt a little, and I’m definitely slowing down. But that’s OK. I expected as much.

Miles 19-20: I definitely miscalculated my long run in training. My 20-miler was more like an 18.5-miler, because I don’t remember feeling this bad during or after it. But there’s my TTES coach! She says I look good! I know she’s lying, but I’ll take any encouragement I can get right now.

Miles 21-22: Someone please kill me now. I’m serious. Just shoot me.

Mile 22.5 or so: Andrew ducked into the bushes. I. Can’t. Run. Another. Step. I am now walking.

Mile 22.51: Drat him! He’s back already! And he’s holding my hand and encouraging me to, what?, run????? Are you joking? I’m done. Didn’t you hear me? I can’t run anymore. I’ll just wait here on the side of the road until someone comes by with a car. I don’t care if it’s not until tomorrow. That’s fine. Leave me alone now.

Mile 23: Why won’t he leave me alone? I want to WALK, dammit! Not run!

Mile 24: Oh, the pain!!!!!! Every joint in my lower body hurts — hips, knees, and ankles — plus my right elbow is bothering me so I’m now running with my arms straight down by my sides.

Mile 25: Mile 25! Only 1.2 miles to go! Let’s finish this #&* thing!!!!!! Suddenly I get a burst of adrenaline and speed. I’m positively inspired!

Mile 25.5ish: We’re now in the Marine base. There are people everywhere. I never saw the sign for Mile 26, so I don’t know how close the finish line is. Gotta keep running.

Mile 26.1: I hear music! Beautiful music! It’s Where the Streets Have No Name by U2! Bono is calling me to the finish line! I. Can. Do. This.

Mile 26.2: I DID IT! I RAN A MARATHON! I AM A MARATHONER!!!!!


Oh boy. Am I seriously considering this????

Remember the Want To Do list?

I'm making slow progress!

- Get to yoga once a week -- Yes! 10 weeks in a row!
- Transition to early morning workouts -- Yes! My new schedule is: teach Monday and Wednesday at 6 a.m., swim Tuesday at 6 a.m., and run Thursday at 6 a.m. (Plus other stuff on the weekends plus one evening yoga class per week and any additional/bonus workouts I'm able to squeeze in.)
- Spend more time with family, friends, and pets. -- Yes! This one is tough due to scheduling, but I'm really making an effort.
- Mentor a child -- Haven't started yet, but I reached out to an elementary school principal to see if she has any students who might be a good match.
- Go to the Winter Classic -- YES! We got tickets!!!!!!!!!!

No meetups with Bono yet, but I can wait. It will happen. (I will meet him. Oh yes. I will meet him.)

Breakfast of Champions

Last night Mom and I went to a local holiday tradition (yes, I know it's not the holidays yet, but this event used to be called The Christmas Shops so I always associate it with Christmas). One of the country clubs hosts it every year and invites local and regional high-end vendors to participate. There are holiday themed tables (ornaments, etc.) and lots of other stuff to buy, presumably for holiday gifts but I always end up looking for stuff I want, haha. Handcrafted jewelry, clothing, small home/decorative items, designer olive oils, silk ties, beautiful children's toys, etc.... It's really a nice event, and each vendor donates 20% of each sale to local charities, most of which benefit children.

All of the food vendors offer samples -- bonus! So we were sucked into a vortex of yumminess by little bite size squares of homemade toffee when I saw what the vendor called Drumsticks.

Are you ready for this?

A pretzel rod covered in caramel. And then dipped in milk chocolate. And THEN slathered with chopped almonds, walnuts, and pecans. DROOL.

Yeah, I'm eating it for breakfast today. Don't judge me.

Thought for the day

I almost always regret a missed workout, but I have never once regretted working out.

You know what the best thing in the whole world is?

It's when your five year-old goddaughter runs across a room, jumps into your arms, and says, "Auntie Lexis! I misted you!"

Big Daddy Diesel is making me do this

OK, so BDD picked me, and now I have to write seven random things about myself and then pick other bloggers to do the same. Thanks my my chronic diarrhea of the mouth, there's not much new/different stuff to tell... but I'll give it a shot.

1. I didn't realize my hair was naturally wavy until I was in my early 30s. Until that time, I just thought it was frizzy and uncooperative. As a result, I tried to blow it into submission every day, only to get frustrated. Finally, I realized I could wear it wavy/curly and not fuss with hot styling every day.

2. A famous dancer and actor (I won't say names, but it rhymes with Rikale Marishnikov) once checked out my butt. No lie.

3. I would adopt 20 pets if D would let me I could. I would totally be a crazy pet lady.

4. My biggest regret is that I never lived in NYC.

5. My biggest fear is fire.

6. I have freakishly long toes. They look like ET. Sad but true.

7. If I weren't scared of losing my teeth, I would play on a women's ice hockey team.

OK, now I pick other people to do this. (You guys have to!) Plus, everyone should check out their blogs.

Jess at Pushing My Limits
Jill at Sneakersister
Maria at All That Matters Is What Makes You Happy
Randy at 400 Beers
Jamie at Project IM Arizona
Joe at Beyond the Two-Zero
Mandy at Dr. Err's House
Julie at Julie's Triathlon Journal
Sage at Random Misadventures
Heather at Saucon Runner

And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't link to BDD, who started this whole thing. Blame him, not me. :)

Leave me a note with any comments/reactions to my randomness and also to let me know when you've posted your own random tidbits.

Recipe for a great day

Ingredients:
1 pool
1 yoga class
1 unexpected, last-minute breakfast with an adoring husband, a great friend, and his 4 kids that you don't see nearly enough
a dash of pampering
1 fundraising party

Swim 2,000 yards and immediately go to yoga. Feel arms shake but know you're doing wonderful things for your body.

Meet friends and hubby for breakfast. Eat decadent, bad-for-you-but-oh-so-yummy things like french toast and huge sticky bun (with a candle in it). Enjoy the slightly off-tune rendition of Happy Birthday as sung by two grown men and 4 children.

Indulge in a manicure and pedicure.

Take a 90-minute nap without ruining said manicure and pedicure.

Check Facebook and see more than 150 good wishes from friends and family.

Get dressed and go to fundraiser, where many, many friends are in attendance. Laugh a lot. Say "thank you" a lot as all of them wish you a happy day. Laugh some more. Ride a tricycle (there were tricycle races at the event... hilarious!).

Talk to a good friend that you've never met (yet!!!) and wish her good luck in her first Half Ironman the next day. Send lots of good vibes to her.

Laugh some more with friends and go home feeling happy and loved.

Yup. It was a good birthday.

At exactly 2:22 p.m. tomorrow

I will be 45 years old.

Here's what I expect my birthday party to look like.

Seriously. 45?? Already? How did this happen??

Money sucks

More accurately, lack of money sucks.

After years of working at it, I finally paid off my high interest credit card and chopped it into little pieces (take THAT, stupid bank!). That's the good news.

The bad news is that I am now using my debit card for everything, which means I'm totally cash poor.

Ugh. It has to get better at some point, right? I mean, I'll be 45 on Saturday (don't even get me started on that one!), and I feel as stressed about money as I did at 25 when I was making less than half of what I make now. WTF? And I know I'm not alone. I know several people who also are cutting way back, counting every penny, and generally losing sleep at night because they are unemployed, underemployed, in debt up to their eyeballs, unable to afford their lives, or some combination of factors.

Would you go back?

Yesterday I went to a 9th grade assembly at one of our schools (I work for the public school system). The speaker was an alumnus who is now a molecular biologist. A self-proclaimed nerd, he goes around to schools to speak to students, in a funny and self-deprecating way, about how hard it is to be an adolescent.

Listening to his stories made me flash back to my own gangly, awkward teen years. The themes of his stories -- loneliness, quest for acceptance, unrequited crushes -- were all too familiar to me.

When I got back to work, I told my boss' secretary about the presentation and said in an offhanded way, "I wouldn't go back to high school for a million dollars." It was a silly little comment at the time, a throw-away, but this morning as I walked the dogs I started to think about it again.

Would I really turn down $1 million if it meant I had to be 14 and go through the pain of high school again?

I think my answer is still yes.

What about you? A million dollars on the spot, but you have to turn back into a 14 year-old and relive the horror that is high school.

I did a headstand in yoga last night

This was me.

She actually could be me, except my boobs and butt are bigger than hers. But I digress.

Toward the end of class last night, the instructor told us to move our mats to the walls with the short end of the mat against the wall. She then said we were going to do headstand (which I've never even tried to do before) and that she'd walk us through it and give us [easier] options if we opted not to do it.

I'm pretty much game for anything, and I LOVE to challenge myself, so I figured I'd try one for the first time, fail epically, and then take one of the options. But at least I'd know that I tried, and next time maybe I'd do a little better.

Imagine my surprise when I went through the steps (kneel facing the wall, hands and arms in position with hands locked and placed a few inches away from the wall, cradle the head in the hands, go to a mini downward dog position, then bend one knee and lift the foot in the air, then the other) and found myself WITH MY LEGS IN THE AIR, balancing on my head and forearms. I was in the front of the room -- Type A and all -- and as she walked around to check us, I was the first one she came to. As she was approaching to help me, I was already in the position. "Good, you're there!" is what she said.

I know it's a little thing, but it really pleased me to be able to do this pose. It seems so... I dunno... advanced.

(Of course, my dismount from the pose was less than graceful. It's something to work on.) :)

MIA (and I don't mean the rapper)

Holy schmoley, where has the time gone? I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, nor have I fallen into an abyss.

Work is nuts.
Training is beyond blah.
Life is hectic.
Being a grown-up really blows sometimes.
Ergo, no blogging.

(Really, I just wanted to use the word ergo in a blog post.)

I've made some progress on my Want To Do list already, believe it or not. I've made it to yoga three weeks in a row, and I'm about 50/50 on the early morning workouts. (On the days I have to teach at 6 a.m., of course I'm there. The other days have been more challenging, but I'm trying.) I have not met Bono -- YET -- in case you were wondering. Nor have I published my first novel. Nor am I even writing it at this point. Someday...

Back to work, but first here's a cute pic from a surprise party we attended this past weekend. I rarely straighten my hair, but it turned out pretty OK that night (or at least the picture makes it look as though it did!).

Happy day, all.

LET'S GO, PHILLIES!!

To Do list

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of To Do lists. Make that huge, ginormous fan. I get immeasurable pleasure from crossing things off the list when they're done. In fact, I add obvious things to the list -- such as Work Out or Eat Lunch -- or things I've already accomplished, just so I can cross them off. (No, I'm not kidding.)

And don't you DARE cross something off the list for me. (I'm talking to you, D!) I don't derive satisfaction from seeing everything crossed off. I derive satisfaction from crossing them off myself. Please and thank you. :) (Loveyoumeanit!)

Anyway, instead of a To Do list, I've decided to make a Want To Do list. It's sort of a combination of a Bucket List and Wish List.

Here goes.

THEIA'S WANT TO DO LIST
- Swim with dolphins
- Publish a novel
- Eat more sushi
- Learn to make sushi
- Run faster. Bike faster. Swim faster.
- Go to Paris
- Meet Bono
- Have a weekly yoga habit
- Own my dream house in Avalon
- Go to more Flyers games
- Become an early morning worker-outer more consistently
- Spend more time with my friends. And my pets. And my family.
- Kick ass in an Olympic triathlon
- Become a mom
- Torture my children when I'm old
- Donate more money to causes I believe in
- Live in NYC
- Make my screened-in porch a room we can use all year
- Get more sleep
- Mentor a child
- Go to the Winter Classic
- Meet Bono again
- Have a backstage pass (to anything) and wave it around like Wayne and Garth
- Go to the opera at Lincoln Center
- Learn more about astronomy

What's on your list?

It's time to confess

I am an addict.

Not to meth or coke or crack or anything like that. I'm probably the one person on earth who's never even smoked pot and can count on one hand the number of times I've been drunk.

No, I'm addicted to sleeping pills. If you've been reading for a while, you might remember a few posts about my insomnia. For years I resisted going to the doctor because I knew he'd prescribe something, and the last thing I want (pretty much ever) is prescription drugs. I would rather exhaust every other possibility on earth first before putting foreign stuff in my body. (And trust me, I did. For years, I did.)

Of course, after hearing me say, "I really don't want to take a pill for this. What are my other options?" he promptly pulled out his prescription pad and replied, "Here, take some Ambien."

Sigh.

I started with 5 mg, but when that didn't really help all that much I went to see a neurologist. I told him my concerns, and he bumped me up to 10 mg of Ambien and also gave me about a week's worth of samples of Lunesta.

Sigh. Again.

Last night, for the first time in nearly a month, I took neither. And I slept maybe 2 hours total if you add up all the little 5, 10, or 15 minute increments of sleep I got in between all the waking, tossing, and turning. The last time I took nothing was the first night of vacation. I absolutely refused to pack sleeping pills for vacation. It's vacation, fercrissakes! If you can't sleep then, when can you sleep?

As you may guess, that experiment didn't work out for me. Apparently, I am the one person who can't sleep on vacation. I spent the rest of the week digging through my purse for the Lunesta samples every night.

I'm doing a lot of sighing over here.

So here are my options:
- Take nothing and literally get no sleep
- Take something and get 5 hours of sleep. Yup, even with a sleeping pill, my body wakes itself up after 5 whopping hours.

I'm sure you'll agree that neither option is really all that hot.

Meanwhile, I've become addicted to the sleep aids... which is exactly what I feared would happen and why I resisted them for so many years.

Sigh.

The big day

I should have adopted this nonchalant attitude about training long ago

Yesterday morning I was too tired to get up and work out. (Some of you know why... D was in a car accident Tuesday night, so it was a somber and stressful evening for both of us. He's OK... just sore and scraped. Could have been far worse.) Last night errands, visiting Dad in the hospital (oh yes, he's in the hospital again), and fatigue got in the way of working out, so yesterday was a complete bust.

This morning I was wide awake and, though lacking motivation, I set out. 4 miles easy; just something to get my body moving after my laziness yesterday. Something funny happened on the way to the main road, however. My body decided to turn left at the bottom of my street and head straight toward the track. What the ??? I don't need to do speedwork. I'm not training for anything! Why on earth am I going to the TRACK, of all places?

With no plan and not even a warmup lap or two, I started pushing it. 4 laps in 7:41. Cool. I knew mile repeats weren't in the cards for me today (I've been doing NOTHING as far as intense workouts), so I decided on a ladder. Next one, 1200 in 5:38 (7:34 pace). Nice! A little faster than the mile, which is what it was supposed to be. Next up, a slightly speedier 800. Nailed that one in 3:43, a 7:29 pace. Cool. Still improving each time. Only one interval to go, and that was a painful 400. I'm not a fan of 400s... They hurt! But I had to do only one of them, so I started out. 1:45, a 7:03 pace!

These paces are slow compared to what I was doing a few years ago, but for me at this time with this amount of training (and missed training), they are great! I really feel like I nailed the workout this morning, and it was completely spontaneous. I did it because I felt like doing it, not because I had to. That mental shift was just what I needed.

Edited to add this graphic from Randy over at 400 Beers. Thanks, Rand!

4 days

In four short days, I will marry the best guy I've ever known. The wedding details have been stressful. I admit that I turned into Bridezilla (briefly), but only because we're having a wedding to make everyone else happy. What would make us happy is to run off to some warm, tropical place and get married, just the two of us. But many members of our families would have been disappointed had we done that, so we planned a very small wedding to share with them.

Let me tell you something. It makes no difference if you're having 15 people or 115. The To Do list is pretty much the same, and therefore so is the stress level.

It really doesn't matter, though. In four days, I get to marry D. And that makes me the luckiest girl in the world.

Anyone else think the gods are angry with us?

In my 44 years, I've experienced one tornado warning, a handful of hurricanes, zero earthquakes, several blizzards (one every 5-7 years, I'd say), and lots of smaller stuff.

In the past week, however, we've had:

a tornado
an earthquake
massive rains
and now, in a few days, Hurricane Irene

Whatever we're doing down here, the gods are not pleased (or, if you prefer, one God, or Allah, or Mohammed, or whatever you wish to call him). They are pissed, ladies and gentlemen.

Be safe out there.

An eventful week

I'm baaa-aack. Did you miss me? :)

Vacation was AWESOME. Just what the doctor ordered -- lots of laughs, relaxation, no stress, and a bitchin' tan. Absolute perfection.

Vacation was also quite eventful. In one short week, I:

- Saw Dick Vermeil (D shook his hand!)
- Tried TRX and Crossfit for the first time (my abs are finally healed from Crossfit on Wednesday)
- Did stand-up paddleboarding (fun!)
- Ran with my brother (a big deal, since he hates running!)
- Got takeout from a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Throughs, and Dives
- Went to a psychic (she sees THREE children! ay carumba! I'm already 44 and have none!!)
- Found out my dream house -- the one I first saw 13 years ago and have been drooling about ever since -- is for sale.

And of course all the other typical vacation stuff -- good food, great times with family, lots of laughs, silly stories, and fun in the sun.

When can I go back??

I left you hanging, didn't I?

And I'm about to do it again... Vacation starts tomorrow, and it can't come quickly enough. Life is VERY stressful right now (I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that I'm hanging on by a thread). The thing that has suffered most -- other than my sanity -- is my training.

Hence, I am indeed retiring... at least for now. Maybe someday I'll miss the intensity and will come back to racing, but right now I can't focus on it and don't need the pressure of HAVING to do this workout or HAVING to meet those people at a certain time. My heart is just not in it. I've kinda known this for a few weeks, but I was hoping that it was just a temporary displacement of mojo. Alas, I think the mojo is gone for a while. Not for good, but for a while.

No biggie. Now I get to do what I want, when I want for a while. Won't that be a treat??

Have a great week, everyone.

Time for... random pictures!

Mom and D's daughter (and my soon-to-be stepdaughter) showing their, um, special appreciation for Justin Bieber.

Maximus (a) thought the mattress was a great place to nap while I washed the bedding and (b) thought the drawstring to D's bathing suit was a fun toy while I folded laundry. He looks so young in this picture, but our little kitten is now 5 years old!

In honor of Saucon Runner's birthday, I am posting one of our famous Eyeball Pictures. Long story... At a Flyers game a few years ago, we tried (OK, *I* tried) to take a picture of ourselves with my phone. When we checked out the pic, we died laughing upon seeing that it was an extreme close-up of our eyes. Now we take Eyeball Pictures wherever we go. This particular one was taken at the U2 concert a few weeks ago. Happy birthday, dear friend!

Where do I go from here?

I was not an athletic child. I was the girl who was picked next-to-last in gym class pretty much every day. I was uncoordinated, gangly, slow, unpopular, and just plain untalented (in sports, anyway). I went to a private school that required physical activity every day, all year, however, so I suffered through the humiliation of failing at pretty much every sport or game I tried.

Until I discovered volleyball. Finally, a sport for tall girls that didn't require the agility of dribbling or the precision of free-throw shooting. I played every fall from 5th grade through high school. While I wasn't the star of my high school team, I'd like to think I was a contributor to any success we had.

Somehow, the admissions office at my college missed the fact that I played volleyball on my application, so I received no notice of pre-season practice or team tryouts. Instead, I showed up at practice on the first day of classes, fully expecting to either be cut or make the JV squad by the skin of my teeth. I had the great fortune of attending a college that had gone coed only 5 years earlier -- meaning the athletic teams were still very young and new. Much to my great surprise, I made the team -- the varsity team! I wasn't a starter my freshman year, but I played in every single game and finally felt like I'd found my niche.

Over the next three years, my playing time increased and my abilities improved. I went from sub to part-time starter to starter to double conference all-star by my junior year. I was the first one to arrive at practice and the last to leave. Senior year, my name was in the Philadelphia Daily News (I still have it framed in my office). Strangers on campus knew who I was and wished me luck on game days or commented on a specific play the day after a game, and even the dining room staff wished me success at our pre-game meals. I was a stud, the BWOC I'd always dreamed of being.

After graduation, I played in every league and tournament I could find. I played women's or coed, sixes, fours, or doubles. I played in gyms, on grass, and on sand. Eventually, though, the opportunities to play started to lessen. Teammates and doubles partners got married, had babies, moved out of town. The less I played, the harder it became to maintain the level at which I was accustomed to playing... and the more frustrated I got. The next generation of recent college grads was tearing up the courts the way I used to. I was a has-been at 27 years old.

Then I discovered the gym. I cardioed my little butt off on the bikes, the ellipticals, the stairmasters. I lifted like a mofo, getting my body fat down to 14.6% at one point. I taught every class the Y offered, sometimes teaching 8-10 classes per week. I got certified as a personal trainer and trained 2-3 clients per week, in addition to everything else (and a totally unrelated full-time job). After several years of that, it became exhausting and too time-consuming. I cut back to 4-5 classes per week and gave up the PT clients.

At 37, I started running. I hated it. H.A.T.E.D. IT! I trained for the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon, successfully raising nearly $7,000 for the American Stroke Association in 3.5 months. On race day, I congratulated myself on never having to run another step again. But a funny thing happened the following week: I missed it. I started running -- because I wanted to, not because I had to -- and that made a huge difference. Because I was so new to running and so late getting into the game, I saw success early on. Every race was an opportunity for a PR, and the PRs came frequently. In the next few years, I repeatedly dropped my PRs in everything from a mile to a half marathon.

Ten days before my 40th birthday, I did my first multisport race -- a sprint duathlon. And fell in love. Unfortunately for me, my birthday is in late October, which meant that I couldn't do another race for at least 6 months. I was completely addicted. I've done at least 2-3 races every year since then (five years this October, as I'm approaching the big 45). When I started, I pushed myself to my limits in training and on raceday. I left everything on the course.

Recently, however, the desire to push so hard has been hard to find, and those PRs have become more and more elusive. (I haven't seen one in years.) I mentioned a few weeks ago that I haven't been proud of a race in a very long time.

Is my body just slowing down? Is my metabolism to blame? Should I just suck it up and realize (and accept) that a 45 year-old woman simply cannot do the things a 35 or 25 year-old woman can, the way I had to accept that my volleyball game wasn't the same at 30 as it had been at 20? Is it time to give up on this sport and find a new way to challenge myself athletically?

Or do I keep doing what I'm doing -- running and triathlons -- and appreciate that my body CAN still do it all, just not in the same way or at the same speed it used to?

And, most importantly, how do I make myself believe that that's actually OK?

Great quote

This was at the bottom of a weekly memo I receive from one of the higher ups here at work.

Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

And here's a fortune cookie that I liked so much, I taped it onto the bottom of my monitor.

Your dream must be bigger than your fear.

Race Pics

The photos from Sunday kind of tell the whole story. :)

Pre-race... Happy and relaxed! But why am I looking the wrong way?

Off we go!

Watch your step! And... nice 'do.

So serious:

Dazed and confused:

My feet are barely leaving the ground here:

Yay! The finish line!

Long-Awaited Race Report

So maybe you haven't been anxiously awaiting my witty, self-deprecating race report, but humor me and pretend you have, OK? :)

Sunday was the New Jersey State Tri, my A race of the year. Prior to Sunday, I had done one Olympic triathlon, and that was three years ago. At that time, I was running a lot more (and a lot faster) but biking and swimming less. My time in that race was 3:14 or 3:16 or something or other (the race site no longer lists results from 2008, so I don't know for sure).

My #1 goal was -- and still is, sadly -- to break 3 hours for an Olympic tri. With the Mid-Atlantic in the grips of Heat Wave #5, I knew Sunday would not be my day. I hoped I'd be close, though. Maybe 3:05ish? 3:10 at worst?

THE SWIM
If you've been reading this for a while, you know I have had issues with open water anxiety. A great experience with a practice open water swim (and The Swim Whisperer) two weeks ago gave me much-needed confidence. Prior to the race, I was nervous, but more butterflies nervous than "Oh my God I'm going to die" nervous. I was in Wave 7 out of 11, and the race started about 10 minutes late... which meant I didn't get in the water until about 8:10 a.m. This is significant because the announcer told us at about 7:20 a.m. that it was already 83 degrees out.

Our wave started... and I was fine. Better than fine. I had strategically positioned myself toward the back of the pack (120 or so people in my wave), away from the thrashing. I paced myself and used my friend Michelle's advice, chanting "stroke stroke breathe" in my head to get into a rhythm. Friends Jennifer and Katrina also made an appearance in my brain, reminding me to beeee caaalllllm. It worked. No anxiety, no nervousness, no fear. I swam and swam and swam. Yes, I was kicked, punched, scratched, whatever. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had the sun in my eyes (note to self: buy tinted goggles!) after the second turn. Didn't bother me at all. Yes, I had a minor asthma attack about 15 yards from the finish. Didn't bother me at all. I emerged from the water, waved at D, and began the long, uphill run toward the transition area. 1,500 meters in 36:05.

THE BIKE
It took me quite a while to feel good on the bike. My legs were so tired! I couldn't understand it after such a relaxed taper week last week. I should have been rested and ready, but instead I felt as though I'd done a 40-miler the day before the race. Finally, I got into a bit of a rhythm and settled in for the 25.5 mile bike ride. Even though I'd practiced riding in aero position as much as possible, the flat bike course meant I was in aero for the majority of the time... and I wasn't ready for that. About 3/4 of the way through, I just. hurt. (Warning, TMI coming!) I couldn't get comfortable, and the thin padding on my shorts wasn't helping. (My race shorts have an even thinner pad than the thinly padded tri shorts I wear in training.) Plus, I was very crampy, and the 3 Advils I had taken at 5:30 a.m. had already worn off. I couldn't wait to get back to transition to take more Advil. Being in aero position put a lot of pressure on my crampy gut. I sat up quite a bit, and at one point I stood and dropped my heels to stretch a bit.

There was a little wind on the bike course, but honestly I have no excuses for why I didn't do better. It just wasn't my day. The bike and I were not friends on Sunday. 25.5 miles in 1:27:29 (17.5 mph average).

THE DEATH MARCH, AKA THE GREAT BONK OF 2011, AKA THE RUN
After downing 3 more Advils, taking a few puffs from my inhaler, eating some Sport Beans and drinking from my water bottle, I started running. At first, I felt OK. I was hoping for about a 9 minute pace for the 10K run, and I probably did the first mile in slightly more than that. I had forgotten to put my watch on, and it was actually a good thing. If I'd seen how slowly I was going in the later miles, I probably would have given up!

Due to the excessive heat, I made a decision to take water and/or Heed at every water stop and WALK the water stops. I have to hand it to CGI Racing; they had water at about every mile, plus two misting stations (the second of which was more of a drenching station... we ran through a puddle about an inch deep from all the water!), plus bags of ice and icy cold towels. They did everything possible to keep us safe and cool. I took advantage of EVERYTHING they offered me -- water, ice, towel, misting, a girl with a hose near the transition area, more water, Heed, more ice, another towel, etc. I must have walked 1.5 miles of the 10K, and I know each mile got slower and slower. Folks, I totally bonked out there. I just had nothing left to give at that point. I later found out that it was 95 degrees with a heat index of 100 at that time.

All I wanted to do was finish, time be damned. After the 5 mile marker, I stopped producing sweat altogether. Never a good sign, but I kept shuffling along, knowing I was so close to the finish. As I came around the turn to the finish chute, I heard my brother, uncle, D, and my friend Darlise (who kicked ass and did a 2:54!) cheering for me. Oh, how sweet a sound! 10K in 1:05:24 (10:33 pace).

(That's me coming to the finish after 3+ hours of racing. So happy to be done!)

My total time was 3:13:29. I'm disappointed, but I know I did the best I could on that particular day.

Will I do an Olympic again? Probably, and I won't wait three more years. I'm such a big fan of CGI Racing that I will probably sign up for the same race next year. It can't possibly be worse, right? ;)

The best feedback I've gotten

"Sorry, Theia it was the suck. But you know what? You were out there for bunches of hours doing bunches of hard things in terrible weather when most other people would say, 'nah...no way.' In great challenge it shows who we are...this shows you kick serious ass. Period." ~ Cranegirl, aka Melissa

You know what? She's right. I do kick serious ass, and so do all my friends -- real and imaginary -- who challenge their bodies and their minds on a regular basis, refusing to give in or give up.

This is not my race report

That will come in the next few days (possibly even tomorrow if I have time).

The big race was today. To say I'm disappointed wouldn't even scratch the surface of what I'm feeling. However, I'm hesitant to write about it because I don't want the obligatory "It was just one day... don't let it get you down" comments.

(Not that I don't appreciate them. I do. I really do. I just don't want my blogger friends to feel obligated to write them.)

The fact is, I haven't had a good race -- a race I'm really proud of -- in years. It might be time to retire.

Then again, I could wake up in a day or two, forget all the pain and suffering, and sign up for something again. Just 'cause I'm stupid like that.

P.S. SO AWESOME to meet Miles99999 (I hope I have the right number of 9s there) this weekend!!!!

Training log

I keep a training log at runningahead.com. It's copied automatically here on Fit Goddess, in the right column. Well, the most recent five or six workouts are copied here, anyway.

One of the things I like to do before a race is go back over my log to see how much work I've done in preparation. Now, mind you, this can backfire if I don't like what I see... or if I compare it to last year during the same time period and it seems inadequate... or what have you. But typically, seeing all my hard work in front of me helps me realize how much I've done to prepare and how ready I really am.

I started training with Coach in mid-May, a bit late for a July 24 goal race, but our schedules didn't mesh before then. (Plus, I didn't realize the magic 12 week window of training had crept up on me until it was already here!) Since then, I have logged:

38,450 yards in the water (21.85 miles)
585.9 miles on my bike
161.6 miles on my feet

(That doesn't include whatever I do this week during my taper, of course.)

That's a lot of miles. And those numbers provide a lot of comfort. I've done the work. Now it's time to have fun on Sunday.

Grace(less) under pressure

THE SCENE:
South Philadelphia. Theia, her brother, his friend, and SauconRunner are walking toward Lincoln Financial Field for the long-awaited U2 concert. Among the thousands of people heading in the same direction, Theia spots a familiar face...


Theia: blah blah blah ha ha ha
SauconRunner: ha ha blah blah blah bl...
Theia: OMG! Hold on. OMG.
Theia rushes stage right toward Ian Laperriere of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Theia: Excuse me.
Lappy turns.
Theia: I love you.
Lappy: Thank you.
Mrs. Lappy: Awwwww.
Theia [to Mrs. Lappy]: I'm sorry.
Theia [to Lappy]: I do. I love you. I miss you.
Lappy: Thank you.
Theia: And I wish you all the best.
Lappy: That is very kind. Thank you.

Smooth. Very smooth.

The Swim Whisperer

Last night I accompanied two friends to an open water swim. I had admitted to one of them that I have major anxiety in open water, so they invited me to join them, saying how much it had helped one of them get over the same paralyzing fear.

First, let me tell you that I was shocked to hear that K had any sort of anxiety about anything. This is a woman who routinely earns a podium spot (like, the MAIN podium, not just an age group podium). Last weekend, she was 2nd woman and 16th overall at an Olympic tri, and she's also training for Ironman Canada! There is NO WAY she has a fear of open water. But, they assured me that she'd had issues and that this weekly open water swim opportunity had really helped her overcome them.

When we arrived, they introduced me to a few people and told them about my anxiety. A woman came right over to me. "Come with me," she said, taking my hand. "I am the Swim Whisperer."

We walked to the water's edge, where she asked me what I'm afraid of, when it started, and if I knew why I had the anxiety. I told her all about being an absolutely fearless child and adult until I was caught in a ripcurrent in November 2009 (read about it here). That experience made me realize just how vulnerable we are in the water and has been messing with my brain ever since. SW suggested that I swim only to the first buoy and then back, but of course I promptly ignored that advice because I'm far too Type A to shortcut anything.

After SW gave me her big pep talk, K came over and asked if I was going to take SW's advice to stay closer to shore, and I said I really wanted to swim to the far buoy (a quarter mile away). K gave me an encouraging nod and then, in a big announcer voice, said, "Females 45-49, your wave will start in 3 minutes. Please enter the water. Females 45-49." Just like a race situation! A short bit later, she did it again. "Females 45-49, one minute. One minute." Then, "Females 45-49, 30 seconds." I didn't have the same anxiety I would have before a race, but it did help to have that deadline looming, even if it was artificial.

K told me to keep her pink swim cap in my sight, and off we went. From the very first moment, I had no anxiety. Zero. It was a glorious night to be in the water, and I was calm and serene. I made it to the fourth and final buoy in 9:13, which is a bit slower than I would do a quarter mile in the pool, but I was thrilled. Made it back to the starting buoy in 18:10 (what? I was faster on the way back??), ran out of the water as SW had suggested, got a quick sip from my water bottle, and ran back in to do it again.

All in all, I did a mile in 36:32, which rivals my speed in a pool where there is no anxiety, no fear, and a wall to push off at the end of each length. Overjoyed doesn't even begin to describe it.

SW finished her swim (she probably did 2 miles in the time it took me to do 1!) and came over to me to ask how I did. I told her I felt great the whole time but that was probably at least in part due to the fact that no one was near me. I had to weave around a few swimmers, but it was nothing like a race situation where hundreds of people are thrashing, punching, pulling, and grabbing in each wave. So she told me to swim. I swam. And as I did, she pulled, elbowed, kicked, pushed, and clawed at me. At one point she pushed my legs down so far they were useless, and at another point she grabbed my butt. :) Cracking up, I stood up and turned around to look at her. "Swim! You're not going to stop and laugh next week in your race. Kick harder!"

So I swam again. More pushing, pulling, grabbing. She swam completely on top of my legs to force me to kick her off me.

Afterward, I grabbed her and gave her a huge hug. "You're ready. You're going to do great," she assured me. "You'll let us know how you did, right?"

Thank you, Swim Whisperer. This race is for you.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen... Lend me your mantras

OK, so it's not an exact quote, but you get the idea.

Last night in the pool I started to have second thoughts (OK, more like 30th thoughts) about this race on the 24th. By all accounts, it was a good swim. I did 2,200 yards total, including a fast (for me) 500 right in the middle at 9:30. I practiced sighting, kicking, pulling, and putting it all together.

Still, I created doubt in my mind. And, worse, fear. I thought about dropping out of the race altogether. Or switching from the Olympic to the sprint. Once that thought entered my mind, it was so appealing... A nice short swim sounds great. None of this "I have to swim HOW FAR to that buoy????" anxiety.

But it also pisses me off, quite frankly. Why do I give up so easily?

What's happening here is that I am allowing my mind to sabotage my race. So I'm asking my blogger friends for their best mantras or relaxation techniques. When you are stressed, how do calm yourself down (or, more accurately, talk yourself off the ledge)?

OMG!

The groomer told me this is Scooby. I remain unconvinced. :)

Random ramblings

- Yesterday was my consultation with the sleep doc (finally!). I have some tests and homework to do, including an MRI of my brain to rule out any neurological issues. The doc explained that insomnia is a condition in and of itself, but often there is a secondary cause or issue related to it. In my case, my secondary issue may be my asthma. Yes, that's right, the asthma may have contributed to the insomnia years and years ago, and now my body has adjusted to this new pattern of sleeping and waking. More waking, less sleeping, to be precise. So we're going to try some things over the next few months and see if there's any improvement.

- So far, not so good. I woke up at 4:32 a.m. for no reason and have been awake ever since. I didn't even have an a.m. workout to do today. Crapfest.

- Meet my new officemate!

Scooby was with me at work this morning until his grooming appointment. The next picture of him will look drastically different...

- All the swimming, biking, and running is doing amazing things for my body... and wreaking havoc on my hair and skin.

- Somehow, there was an 8 pound difference between my scale yesterday morning and the doctor's scale at lunchtime. His was 8 pounds higher, of course (I was 136.6 at home and 145 on his scale). I vote for using my scale to measure my progress, simply for consistency. Right. That's it. Consistency. No other reason. :)

Things Runners Wish Non-Runners Knew

1. We are pedestrians. Pedestrians have the right of way. Therefore, we have the right of way.

2. It is not only impolite but also dangerous to drive so close to us that we could punch touch your car if we wanted to. Move the F over and give us a bit of space. If someone is approaching from the opposite direction that prohibits you from moving over a few inches, you may have to slow down until they pass. You'll survive. I promise.

3. On a track, the inner lanes are reserved for the fastest runners. If you are walking, walk on the outside lanes so that we don't have to weave around you during our intervals. Please and thank you.

4. Related to #3... If we politely ask you if you'd mind moving over so that we could run in one lane all the way around, the proper response is never an eye roll.

5. Running isn't bad for us. It's actually quite good for us. Lots of good stuff happens when we run -- calorie burn, weight maintenance or loss, improved cardiovascular capacity, higher metabolism, lower stress, improved musculature, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, higher bone density, and more. Look it up if you don't believe me. Here, I'll make it easy for you. Health benefits of running <-- Just click on it!

6. If we're running up a steep hill, please don't stop us to ask for directions. If we stop to help you, chances are pretty good we won't be able to start again. So just wait at the top, pull over, and we'll be happy to help you. At that point, we may even welcome a little break. :)

7. I love dogs. D and I have two of them. However, I'm pretty confident I speak for all runners when I say I don't want them -- or any other dog -- to chase me. Keep your dog on a leash if it can't be trusted to stay by your side. And those retractable leashes? Retract them, fercrissakes. Just because your dog is on a leash doesn't automatically mean you're behaving like a responsible pet owner. If the leash is ten feet long and the dog is interfering with our movement or progress, we will tell you about it. And we won't be nice.

8. On a trail or in a race, please don't walk or run 6-across. Or even 3-across. On a busy stretch, whether it's a narrow trail, busy road, or race, go single file when someone is approaching.

9. Please let us pass you. If you hear "On your left," it means a runner or cyclist is coming up from behind you and going faster than you are. Simply move to your right (remember the single file suggestion???) and let us pass.

10. Remember that to us, running is as important as eating, sleeping, and breathing. It's a lifestyle, a choice we've made to live our lives a certain (healthy) way.

There is no justice

Casey Anthony was acquitted.

Happy July 4 weekend!

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

I hope you are able to celebrate with loved ones and enjoy some time off. Safe travels to anyone who is on the road (or in the air) this weekend.

And now, the ultimate Would You Rather...

Would you rather be a boy or a girl?

Discuss.

Would you rather....

1. Suffer from memory loss or insomnia?
2. Run 10 miles nice and easy or 5 miles as fast as you can?
3. Lose your sight or your hearing?
4. Get a sports massage or a pedicure?
5. Work in a low-paying job that you love or a high-paying job that you hate?
6. Vacation at the beach or in the mountains?
7. Be able to cook well or have a green thumb?
8. Go to a wine bar or out dancing?
9. Do Pilates or yoga?
10. Go to the ballet or the opera?

WTF is going on here????

In 8 days, five people from my general circle/network have passed away.

Last Thursday - a friend's sister

Last Friday - a coworker

Wednesday - a coworker's nephew

Also Wednesday - a friend's mother

Yesterday - another friend's father

What. The. F? Bad things are supposed to happen in threes, not fives. :(

All this does is strengthen my resolve to let people know how I feel about them. I've already told my wonderful brother how much I love him and how proud I am to be his sister. I need to call both parents (how lucky am I to still have them??) today and tell them, again, that I love them. And I tell D every day, but maybe I'll call him and tell him again. Just because.

There are some others, though, that maybe don't know how special they are to me. Hopefully they will see this post.

Eileen, Karen, Heather, Gina, Resha, and Melanie - You guys are like the sisters I never had. I can tell you anything and ask you anything. I can go weeks without seeing or talking to you, and then when we finally do get together it's like time stood still all those weeks. I don't know what I would do without you guys!

Jen and Kathy - My beautiful cousins! More accurately, my beautiful, hilarious, glamorous, wonderful cousins. Every family gathering is memorable, hysterically funny, and amazing, in no small part because of you guys.

Georgia - My other beautiful cousin. You have meant more to me through the years than you can possibly know.

Andrew - Thank you for your friendship and support. I know how unique our situation is, and I'm deeply appreciative that we've been able to remain friends.

Michelle, Andrea, and Jen - I look forward to our workouts, not only because they kick my butt but also because they give us opportunities to catch up on life, tell funny stories, laugh, commiserate, brainstorm, and more. I hope each of you knows how much you mean to me and how close I feel to you.

Julie, Delia, and Tina - College would not have been the same without any of you. I sometimes wonder what life would have been like if I'd chosen my other first choice (Columbia). And then I quickly think, "But then I wouldn't know Delia! Or Julie! Or Tina!" No choice -- not even NYC, my favorite place on earth -- would have been worth that. I know I don't talk to you often anymore because our lives are so scattered, but I cherish the many memories we created together... and know there are many more to come!

Rob - What can I say about Rob? My closest friend from childhood. The Harry to my Sally (without the awkward "We slept together, now what??" moment). :) I hope you know that my entire family considers you a valued family member. (Come to think of it, I don't know if that's flattering or scary. We are a pretty kooky bunch!)

Ann - Another childhood friend. I love catching up with you when you come back to town and getting to know your beautiful family. And every time I play Trivial Pursuit, I think of you!

Michael - I am always so flattered when you introduce me as your sister, even though we are not blood relatives. I think the world of you!

Hug your loved ones, people, and tell them how you feel about them. You just never know.

Adventures in cycling

Last night I did a group ride, something I've done only a few times before and really am not comfortable doing. By group ride I don't mean I rode with a few friends. No, I mean I rode with 50 friends. 50 really aggressive, testosterone-laden friends whose purpose in life seems to be to hammer their bikes as hard as possible as often as possible.

The beginning of the ride is a leisurely warmup to get us out of the city and to the backroads. That's where the majority of the ride takes place -- rolling hills through back country roads with no shoulders (and, half the time, no yellow line). We go over train tracks and metal-grate bridges, up loads of hills, down some hills, and generally meander across the state line and back with lots of twists and turns. Since this was my third time ever doing this ride (in 4 years!), I of course am not familiar with the route, but there is supposed to be a sweeper that stays with the slowest riders to make sure everyone gets back safe and sound.

Knowing I'd be one of the slowest riders there, if not the slowest, I purposely started in the back of the B/C group (about 20-25 people). Soon, I could see the majority of the group ahead of me with a few stragglers in between the pack and little old me in the back. Directly in front of me was a young girl (I found out later she was 14) and the ride leader, who was hanging back with her to ensure her safety. Behind me were TONS of cars. Because of that, I wasn't comfortable passing the slower girl for quite a while... I just didn't know what the cars were doing behind me or when they would try to pass me.

I finally passed the girl and ride leader and tried to catch up to the stragglers. I figured as long as I could keep them in my sights, I'd be OK. Big mistake. Remember I said there's supposed to be a sweeper with each group? I didn't realize the ride leader with the young girl WAS the sweeper. I naively assumed there was another ride leader who would drop back for me/us (or was riding with the stragglers), but I was wrong.

While I was trying to catch the smaller group (I'd already given up on the main pack), there were cars everywhere. A black SUV passed me, barely giving me any space, AND THREW A CAN AT MY HEAD, barely missing my face by inches. Then, they leaned on the horn as they passed the two riders in front of me, again not yielding any room for them as they sped by. Guess what? I got their license plate number. Oh yes I did.

Soon, it was just me and another guy, Andy, whom I did not know and who also didn't know the route. Great. I asked Andy to help me remember the plate number because I have a good friend, W, who is a state trooper. I knew W would be interested in my story, but it all depended on remembering the stupid plate. So as we rode, Andy and I recited the number over and over to remember it.

Andy remembered parts of the route, and we rode along -- with me foolishly trusting a guy I'd never even seen before. Luckily, he was a good guy. I mean, really... who follows a stranger into the woods, farther and farther away from home?? Apparently, I do. Genius.

Another rider caught up to us. He'd arrived at the meeting point late and had hammered for miles to catch up. Soon, he left us in the dust. At one point we passed three riders off to the side of the road, one of them changing a tire. They too caught up to us and passed us.

I know without a doubt that Andy could have ridden faster with those other guys, but he never left me. Every minute or so, he would look over his shoulder to make sure I was still there. I am so grateful to him!

When we were all alone again and completely lost in a neighboring state, he took out his iPhone to use his GPS and try to figure out where we were. As he did that, I texted my trooper friend: Remind me - 211284. A few minutes after that, Andy and I parted. He still had miles to go to get home, which was the opposite direction of where my car was. We got to a split in the road, and he assured me that turning left at the split would get me back to a main road that I knew and felt comfortable riding alone. I just didn't know how far that main road was. When I heard my phone go off with an incoming text, I knew it was my trooper friend responding, so I pulled off the road and texted him back:

Just want someone to know where I am. Did a group bike ride but got separated. Am now alone in [state] on [name of road], hopefully heading toward [main road]. From there I will go south to my car, which is parked in [trendy neighborhood]. Just want to let someone know.

(Note that I didn't send that text to D because (a) he just moved here 9 months ago from 3,000 miles away and would not know where I was or how to get to me, and (b) I didn't want him to panic.)

About 10-12 minutes later, I made it to the main road. Thank goodness! I was still WAY north of where I should have been, so I hustled along to get back to my car. Luckily it was the longest day of the year! :) As I got back into my home state, I saw a police car go by and then turn on its lights. I stopped at a red light, and the police car made a U-turn back toward me. It was my trooper friend! He came out to find me!!!! What a great friend. I didn't need help, but it was such a relief to know that it was there if I had needed it. Thank you, W!

I stopped to talk to him for a few minutes and explained my earlier mysterious text about the license plate number. I really hope he goes after the guy(s). And yes, I will press charges against them. F*ckers.

All in all, I made it back to my car unharmed, but there were definitely some scary moments last night. I'm not sure if I'll go back to the group ride next week. If Coach tells me to do it, I will. But I'm not sure I'd choose to do it otherwise.

Race Report

SHORT VERSION:
I am old and slow.
The End

LONG VERSION:
This was a tune-up race, a day just to see where I am so far in my training and what I need to work on. Still, I wanted to do well and especially wanted to improve over my performance in the same race last year.

Swim - I felt pretty good in the water, which is HUGE progress over all of last year's races when I was prone to panic attacks. In fact, I purposely tried to create anxiety during the swim so that I could learn to persevere through it. It worked; I felt comfortable the whole time I was out there. I didn't push myself as hard as I could have, however, which will be obvious when you see my times...
2010 = 10:03
2011 = 10:02
WTF????????

Bike - This is where I really wanted to see improvement. I've been biking more than ever before and feeling really good on my bike. I know I'm not the fastest girl, but I went in feeling fairly confident that I'd be a minute or two faster than last year. Ummm, not so much.
2010 = 38:27 (18.7 mph)
2011 = 37:49 (19 mph)
Not the improvement I was hoping for.

Run - I knew I'd be slower than last year. I just knew I didn't have the same leg speed I had a year ago.
2010 = 24:13 (7:49 pace)
2011 = 25:13 (8:07 pace)
(Truthfully, I'm happy I did that well. I thought I'd be closer to 26 minutes... or worse!)

Overall -
2010 = 1:15:40
2011 = 1:15:37

Three lousy seconds faster than last year. Really? Three freaking seconds?? Not even close to what I wanted to achieve on Saturday.

Sorry if this seems whiney. I'm disappointed but not devastated. It wasn't an A race, so I'm OK with what went down... I was just hoping for more. Or, more accurately, less. :)

Shaggy was here

Yes, that's an autographed puck.

Correction. WAS an autographed puck.

The checklist

- Despite good training so far, suddenly feeling unprepared and anxious. Check.

- Planning my outfit and then second guessing which tri top I should wear. Check.

- Wondering where my What To Pack For A Triathlon checklist is. Check.

- Drinking as much water as possible. Check.

- Questioning my decision to wear new socks in the race. Check.

- Knowing I need to eat healthy foods but craving crap because I've been SO good for SO long. Check.

- Related to above, wondering when it's too early to start carb-loading. Check.

- Obsessively checking Saturday's weather forecast. Check.

Yup. It's race week!

The Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living

I'm sure most of us have seen this before, but it's worth repeating. Enjoy.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three Rs:
- Respect for self
- Respect for others
- Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Random cuteness on a Tuesday

Mikka lounging on the cedar chest in the bedroom.

Maximus in the bathroom window.

Guess which two dogs got a bath last week? :)

This one is just too good to not post

"He who warned, uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed." ~ Sarah Palin, totally misinterpreting the purpose of Paul Revere's midnight ride

This is my foot

With an ice bag on it.

On my desk. At work.

Because it's throbbing so badly that I finally decided to look at it, and when I did I saw that it's not only throbbing and painful but also swollen.

Why is it throbbing and swollen? Because this morning I turned quickly to reach for something and slammed my foot into the bike trainer, which was folded neatly and waiting to be taken down to the basement. I saw stars immediately but kept walking on it (I had memories of my coach yelling "Walk it off!" from my many volleyball injuries floating in my head). I figured I was fine if I could walk.

But hours later, the pain has not subsided.

I am not pleased.

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE:
My foot is still swollen, but the pain is all but gone. However... on Saturday the screen door slammed into my heel as I tried to get my bike in the house. Yes, the same foot. Sheesh.

Fortune cookie

This was a good one.

Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely.

This question is for everyone, not just my runner/triathlete friends

This morning I did a track workout. While I was out there (in 97% humidity, ugh!), I remembered that a few years ago track workouts were my absolute favorite. When I was doing them weekly and having success nailing my paces, I loved them. (I also hated them, because they are FREAKING HARD, but I loved them at the same time. Weird, I know.)

That made me wonder what everyone else considers to be their favorite workout. Be specific... Is it a particular lift, like squats or walking lunges? Is it a swim set or a run mileage or running route? A Zumba class with a favorite instructor?

I have lots of favorites.

FAVORITE CLASS TO TEACH
After all these years, it's probably still step. I teach an advanced choreography class, and my core group has been with me for YEARS. Step was the first thing I learned to teach, 18 years ago when I first got certified. And it's still my favorite.

FAVORITE CLASS TO TAKE
Advanced step. :) Search for Calvin Wiley, Rob Glick, or Marcus Irwin on youtube to see what I mean by advanced. Swoon!

FAVORITE LIFT
I have two: dips and lateral delt raises. Oh, and squats. And curtsey lunges. And walking lunges. Crap, I love 'em all!

FAVORITE TRACK WORKOUT
This morning's was actually fun: 12 x 200. Love me some 200s!

FAVORITE TRIATHLON WORKOUT
My crazy ass brick workout, where I bounce back and forth between short but intense intervals on the bike trainer (15-20 minutes) and short but intense runs around my neighborhood (I have a 1.08 mile route that I use for this workout) for an hour plus. Love, love, love that crazy ass workout. AND I get to do it this week!

So what are your favorites? Share!