New Year, New Season

The off season is over and it's time to start keeping track of workouts here again. Things will be a little sparse through the first week of February because I'm being a good grad student and prioritizing research.

To kick off the on season, the tri club had a little "boot camp" this last weekend which involved a lot of high-volume, low-intensity workouts and a good dose of group bonding. It's hard to not bond with people when you're working out in sub-freezing temperatures. To solidify the bond on Sunday morning, we did a polar bear swim in Percy Priest lake. We were just in long enough to dunk and get the heck out. Pix of the fun:

Walking down to the lake. Note the gutter filled with ice.

Pre-dunk. Note nervous smiles.

Trying to run fast enough to stop thinking about what I'm doing. This is actually a tactic I use often for getting into pools/lakes. Also, I'm never far from the "avoid logic" state.

The chaos of the plunge and my turn-around point.

Victory!

The exit--really booking it now.

Lookin' all relaxed and warm next to a very bundled-up coach.

My feet bundled in muppet socks finally getting some relief.

The whole thing was a ton of fun and yes, I would do it again.

Dreams DO come true

I love to go in the temperature/humidity controlled rooms at the wine store and drool (figuratively) over all the expensive and lovely wine. I can spend a remarkable amount of time just looking at wines and I've always joked that being trapped in one of those rooms wouldn't be so bad.


Well, last night was the night. While at dinner with colleagues in Tucson at 58 Degrees and Holding, a couple of us took a quick tour of the storage room which has an attached private dining room. When we were done looking around, we discovered that the door had locked behind us. Every sitcom ever made has an episode where people get trapped--I had flashbacks to the Family Ties where Mallory and Skippy get stuck in the basement and end up wearing chipmunk suits. We didn't do the banging on the door thing. We didn't do the group bonding thing. We shrugged and went back to look more at the wine.


There are three reasons that I was happy that someone opened the door in a short time:

1. It was difficult to see what was stored in the cabinets--window shopping becomes less fun when you have to make an effort to see what's hiding in the window. I want to say something about the experience becoming a peep show, but I can't figure out how to do that gracefully.


2. All the cabinets were securely locked (see picture from the website below)


3. No corkscrew.

The evening's dinner was wonderful and the wine list offered a lot of variety and was very approachable. I learned that living a dream isn't always what it was cracked up to be and that I should always carry a corkscrew.

Funniest thing I've seen...

...for a while:


Heh. Funny kitty!

First Day

The first day of off-season found me very hungry and tired.
Tomorrow will be better.

Some of you will argue that yesterday was the first day of off season, but considering I was awake for a total of 8 hours yesterday, it doesn't count.

Bring on the off-season!

This weekend was the much-anticipated end to my fall triathlon season. I traveled with the Vandy Tri team to McCormick, South Carolina for an intermediate distance race. This is the first time since my sophomore year at Purdue that I've traveled with an organized club because the group trip thing about killed me. After getting over my team-travel complex, I will say that this is the most fun I've had traveling with a team. Ever.

Okay, on to the race...

Pre-race goals and plan: Relax on the swim, work on keeping my legs fresh for the bike and run. Spin on the bike, keep a comfortable cadence throughout. Run my ass off. Stay competitive. Don't give up.

It was nice to get to the race site early enough to not have to rush through setting up my transition area and getting a short warmup in. I was really glad for the extra time to put on my wetsuit. Wetsuit application is an art that I have not yet mastered. I am pleased to look around to see that others have as much trouble as I during this process (visualize the girl that has one of the guys on her team and jumps up and down while he holds the sides--entertaining). The Vandy team and I make our way down to the waterfront barefoot through a 45-degree pine-needle littered descent. Others doing the same are discussing the few places that such a spectacle can be beheld, that is, where else could you find hundreds of people walking through a forest, barefoot and in wetsuits. We approach the waterfront and have to fight through the crowd to make it to the water in time to do a short warmup and get out before the first wave starts.

The collegiate wave is the second group to go. It's a mass start with men and women. I am pushed to the front by Craig who just smiles and tells me that that's where I need to be. I shrug and go for it. It was the most physical swim I've ever had. The first third, I was mostly sandwiched in a group about six-across, all trying to get position. Somewhere in this jostling, I am smacked in the head repeatedly by some guy who obviously doesn't understand the etiquette and I decide that I don't want a concussion and deliver a sharp elbow to his ribs. He didn't bother me much after that. About this time, I realize that I'm expending much more energy than I should and I try to maneuver to the edge of the group and relax. Somewhere along the way in (last 1/3), I figure out that I've been navigating to the wrong buoy and have to alter my course. I don't know if I lost time on that or not. I'd love to see the path I swam.

When I stand up on shore, I realize what I have just done to my legs and eye the 45-degree slope with much hesitation. I start up the hill, pass a guy, am hoisted by another couple guys up a little ledge, start running towards the transition area, decide that running longer will result in my death, regroup, walk a bit, then jog the rest of the way. Fortunately, the wetsuit didn't hamper T1 much and I head out on the bike.

The first six miles on the bike were miserable. I keep thinking about my goal to spin my way through the bike to save my legs for the run. I am disappointed that I am not able to do so. My stomach briefly thinks about rebelling, my brain was strong enough at this point to override the stomach's thoughts. I found myself struggling through any sort of an incline and even found it difficult to gain speed on the downhills. I managed to pass two women in those early miles. I found out later that, at this point, I was leading the female collegiate race!! It didn't last long. A guy passed me, cheering on the Vandy women. I asked him if they were close. He said no. He was lying. Maria passed me at mile 8.5. I had hoped to hold her off until at least mile 10. Around mile 10, I started to feel better, but I honestly don't remember much about the rest of the ride. I was hurting, I was being passed by men from the next wave, I was considering taking a DNF. However, I was only passed by one more collegiate female. I took this as a good sign.

T2 felt lightening fast. I dropped the bike and helmet, changed shoes, grabbed the hat and race belt and I was out. My time doesn't reflect the speediness that I felt, but it may be progress.

The run: I mentally divided the run into three two-mile sections. The first section, I was finding my legs and they were happy that I wasn't biking any longer. They had not yet discovered what I was going to be asking them to do for the next 4-6 miles, which was to run up and down evil, evil hills. The second two miles, my legs caught on to the game and started rebelling. My brain was no longer strong enough to convince any part of me that what I was doing was a good idea. I see Maria, try to cheer her on, Mac catches me shortly after the turn around. I wave him on, tell him to kick some butt. I don't see Craig and I'm confused. My watch tells me that I'm keeping a good pace. The last two miles were a struggle. My legs decided that they were very angry and started to cramp, my brain decides that I don't want to lose any more spots (I was passed by three collegiate women during the run) and I dig in and try to disconnect all reality from what I am doing. The last hill, a killer, was taken with the idea that I wouldn't look at the top, just put one foot in front of the other. Fortunately, the finish was just over the hill and I didn't have to sprint when I got there. Mac was there rooting me on, which was fantastic because I might have walked in otherwise.

In all, the race was a success. I would have killed for a banana bag at the end. The good news is that I can't imagine making up time on the course. There would have been major trade offs for any changes. I think I went as smart as I could have.

I am so ready for the off-season!

Texas as Cat

Texas being slowly introduced into the world of Halloween. First it's a hat with a cat face, then they have you dressed in a sack and call you a pumpkin, then...a moose-huntin' senator?

Granny Annie smiles knowingly.

Belmont Debate

I was going to do mile repeats tonight, but with all the excitement over at Belmont, I figured that running around that area would be more interesting. I took a quick run around Vandy, then around Peabody, then over to Belmont.

I was surprised at how close I could get to the building. There were lots of security patrols. They were friendly and didn't seem overwhelmed. Everyone was being very polite and behaving like they were being monitored by the police until I tried to walk upstream through a march for McCain where people just looked forward and ignored that anything was in front of them. I'm still a little baffled about that.

There was a marked difference between the McCain and Obama supporters. First, the Obama supporters were in groups of 5 or 6 with a mix of printed and handmade signs while the McCain supporters were either walking alone or in the march with handmade signs. I didn't see a pre-printed McCain sign. Second, the Obama supporters were smiling and cheering for other supporters. The McCain supporters were mostly silent--even in the march. Those who were talking were talking at a conversational level to other McCain supporters. Finally, I walked down an alley where vendors could buy t-shirts and other election-related trinkets. The majority of these were anti-Obama rather than pro-McCain or pro-Obama. It was really interesting.

I may have picked the Republican alley to wander around, but I didn't see another place to go. I was also wandering about an hour and a half before the debate was starting. These things may have skewed my experience, but it was at least entertaining to be around all the excitement, until I remembered that I'm a recluse and avoid people and headed home.

As a side note, I evidently wasn't the only person that thought that my evening jog around the area seemed like a good excuse to show up on site. There were lots and lots of people out in running clothes. I caught the eye of at least one runner and received a knowing nod.

Side effects of snobbery

I've learned through my wine tasting habit that when identifying smells, it's often helpful to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind because there's often a good descriptor in that first impulse and if you think too long, that smell/concept will escape you. However, sometimes it's better to think about why you had that impulse before you speak and identify the cause of the impulse.

During the long ride today, we were sampling some energy products. I picked one, smelled it, and exclaimed, "Wow, it smells like a tanning bed!" The flavor was piña colada, which I didn't know before hand, so it sorta makes sense. Sorta.

It ended up tasting okay. Not great, but okay.

A (very) small plague of grasshoppers

As I was coming home from the grocery this evening with 5 heavy grocery bags in hand, I was attacked by a grasshopper as I was trying to get into my apartment building. He was sitting just outside the door and hopped to my bag, then off the bag, onto the door. I started to open the door while he was sitting there, but somehow, from the door, he went around, in front of my face to the brick facade just at eye level. He then jumped back down to the ground, ready to start again. He was very aggressive. I wonder what they feed the grasshoppers around here...

Boot Camp -- Final Day

Yesterday was the last day of triathlon boot camp. It was a choose-your-own-adventure bike ride. We had options for 28, 40, 56, 80, and 95 mile loops. You may assume that I'm crazy enough to do one of the long rides. You would be...wrong. I managed the 40 and even opted out of a "big climb" option. What this means is that boot camp successfully kicked my butt.

Today was a much needed rest day.

Boot Camp Update

It's almost October. I should not need sunscreen. However, I should also not be out three hours longer than I planned.

The triathlon boot camp session was great with some running form analysis. I hadn't planned to do the 22 mile ride to the marina, but, as they say, "everyone else was doing it." So I did. We did about a 1.5 mile swim, give or take, and then faced the ride back. It was a really nice day with perfect weather. I was really surprised at the amount of sun I got (and not necessarily in a good way). But I felt good the whole time and was really ready for some food and a nap when I got home.

Another lesson learned--the Power Bar Berry Blast Fruit Smoothie is really not bad when you're tired and need some energy. It tastes like the old Flintstone's vitamins at other times. The vanilla Power Bar goos always taste like cake batter. I still can't decide if that's good or bad.

Boot Camp

This weekend is triathlon boot camp. This evidently means that the tri club exercises more than usual. In large groups.

Tonight, this involved about 15 of us running around downtown Nashville drawing odd looks from the tourists. Great fun!

The Simpsons

The Simpsons have been on for 2/3 of my life.
That is all.

Easy week

I've been taking it easy this week--trying to let my body catch up on some rest, but it seems that the next few weeks should be good building weeks leading up to the last race of the season. I'm pretty excited.

I took a short trip (yesterday and today) to give a talk on the stuff I've presented at the last few conferences I've attended to a small group of people that have a lot of experience in the area. In the meantime, I got to visit with Kennet and his beautiful family. I even braved (and enjoyed) Mexican food for the evening (Mexican food--not something I've ever been really attached to, and I've had lots of mediocre to bad experiences).

Back to the grind tomorrow.

Shortage

Friday morning, before I left for Indiana this weekend, I heard there was a gas shortage in Middle Tennessee. I didn't think much about it because I had just under a half-tank of gas. However, I went for a run and started looking for an open station, I started to get worried. I passed 6 gas stations around my apartment and none had gas.

Jeremy did some searching and found that it was a Middle Tennessee problem and told me that if I could make it to Kentucky, I could find gas. I had just over a quarter tank which I conservatively estimated to give me a range of 60 miles. I kept an eye on the gauge and started taking every exit once I got out of Nashville. I didn't use air conditioning and I drove slow and got further than I expected before I decided that I needed to make a decision to keep going or go back to Nashville. Fortunately, a guy was filling his tank with a portable container and I was able to ask him how far away he went to find his prize. It was just 5 miles up the road in Kentucky.

So after waiting in line for about a half hour, I made it to Indiana safely with plenty of gas to spare. People waiting in line were generally very polite and patient--unusual for such circumstances. Also unusual is that the gas price wasn't gouged. I paid less than what was being charged in Indiana.

I don't know what the current gas situation in Nashville is. Rumors say that deliveries are on the way and that they aren't. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but the grocery stocks were low this evening when I went.

Needless to say, I'll be walking and biking when and where I can.

Realization

I didn't watch Beverly Hills 90210 the first time around, yet I was swamped with the overwhelming marketing of the show and tabloid exposure of the actors. I appropriately swooned at pictures of the cast. The guys were super-cool and the girls were beautiful--not just beautiful, but unattainably beautiful.

Fast-forward to the second round of 90210, which I refuse to watch on premise. Again, the cast, well, they're all beautiful. Also unattainably so, but in a different way. Jezebel posted these pictures and I was shocked at how "beauty" has changed in a relatively short time. Does the new cast look healthy? Ack!

And what happened to jeans and t-shirts??

Any day...

Any day with beautiful weather, a good run, and a giant cupcake cake is a good day.

**Note: not the actual cake, but it looked a lot like it...mmm...tons of icing and not so much cake. I should mention that the image is from Capital Cupcakes.

Missing Moosie

I'm not entirely sure when my cat turned into a pinhead, but it seems that he has. It doesn't stop me from missing him and his glorious belly.

Music City Tri Race Report

The short version: I've never been so miserable on a swim, a bike, or a run. Combine the three and you have a recipe for a really tired and achy Sarah.


The long version: The leftovers from Hurricane Ike came through Nashville in the last 24 hours. There were wind gusts for 35-40 mph. The lake was extremely choppy with 2-4 foot waves and the race was not wetsuit-legal. I saw this as a bonus for me, being the strong swimmer and all, and I was eager to get going. It turns out that the swim was really difficult. It was easily the worst conditions I've swam in. I've been in bigger waves, but they were in the ocean and came with some regularity so you could get a rhythm. There were two turn-around buoys. When I reached the first one, I looked up and it was further away than I expected, like I had swam past it. I looked up again and noticed it was even further away and I realized that it had become loose. About then, I noticed the mass of people behind me make the turn--their race just got cut really short. I kept swimming and fighting the water and finally managed to get close enough to shore that walking was going to be more effective and they announce that the swim was cancelled due to the runaway buoy. The good news is that, according to a team member on the beach, I finished with the first group of girls in the collegiate wave. The bad news is that I used a lot of energy to do so and all the work was for nothing.


The race was then changed to a bike-run with a swim transition start. We waited in the wind cooling off for about 30-45 minutes before starting. The bike was really windy and the headwinds and crosswinds were killer. My bike would swerve 2-3 feet with the gusts. I questioned my sanity while crossing the two bridges. Because of the mass start, most of the ride was really congested and I saw several wrecks on hills where people were passing 3-4 abreast. Hill wrecks are dangerous because of the potential for traffic coming over the top. Scary stuff. I also saw more flats on this course than I have in my years of racing combined. Fortunately, I managed to avoid disaster, but yet again, used much more energy than usual for that distance and felt the consequences in the run.


There's not a lot to say about the run. I think the course would have been a ton of fun if I wasn't beat going into it, but I was beat and it was still really windy (and felt like it was getting stronger). When the wind would whip up, it was strong enough to stir up debris and I was very happy for my sunglasses. My goal for the run was to not lose too many places, but keep comfortable. I'm not sure I managed either.


It was a really tough race. I don't know where I finished and, honestly, I'm not that concerned with it. Today is to be chalked up to a mental-toughness day. I'm just happy I finished the race.

List

I had a whole list of things that I wanted to get done today.
I managed very, very few.
I think I underestimated the amount of time and effort involved in "rest and prep for race".

Early morning tomorrow.