Customer Service

I think everyone has some kind of bad customer service story, and a mental "do not patronize" list of businesses as a result. I refuse to give money to Macy's or Blockbuster because they have wronged me somehow over the years.

Does anyone reading this work for Sears? If so, please help my mom. She sent me the following rant late last night:

Our journey down the rabbit hole:

Aug 12 (day 1) - Our new Kenmore refrigerator and freezer stop working. Find the manual. Contact Sears for service. “Call anytime. Day or night (U.S.A. and Canada)”

We are advised that the "earliest available" service will be Aug 22. That is 10 days from now. There is a service center a couple miles from our house. Can we contact them? Oh no, everything is scheduled through the service center. Okay. Thanks for your help. Unable to accept that we'll be 10 days without a fridge in 90 degree weather, I send an email asking for help. Return email promises a response in 1-2 business days. I'm expecting a call on Monday.

Just an aside, but what does 'business days” mean? The stores and parts centers are open 7 days a week. The call centers are staffed 24/7. How is it that “business days” means Monday thru Friday? Why bother calling at all if it is after 5PM Monday-Friday? Blue laws live?

Aug 13 (day 2) - A morning of cooking during the hottest day of the summer. I cook everything that is still cold. How about a nice hot bowl of vegetable soup? Husband's insulin must be kept cool. Go to Home Depot and spend $100 on a little dorm fridge. Man it fills up fast. We buy ice and think we can put it on the shelves in the big fridge and keep it cool enough to save some of the food.

Aug 16 (day 4) - Still no word from Sears. Another call to customer service. Explained situation and frustration. Call is escalated. Service is scheduled for Aug 18. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It is a losing battle with the “ice box”. We throw away the rest of the stuff. We've lost hundreds of dollars worth of meat and groceries.

Aug 18 (day 6): ~ 11 AM Service person arrives and re-positions a piece of cardboard/insulation that slipped out of position. Advises that we wait a couple hours for refrigerator to begin cooling.

~ 2:30 PM -- refrigerator and freezer are still very, very warm. NO COOL AIR. NONE. Another call to customer service. Ask to have serviceman return to fix the fridge. First available appointment is Aug 27. Ask to speak with supervisor. Put on hold. After a long wait, advised to keep refrigerator closed and call in the morning. When pressed about the refrigerator being WARM inside, rep advises it is because we are opening the door too often. Husband manages not to scream DO YOU UNDERSTAND? THERE IS NOT A BIT OF COOL AIR IN THE REFRIGERATOR. IT IS NOT COOLING. He mentions that we had to buy a new fridge. Rep tells him that's great. You don't have a problem. You have another refrigerator. This is becoming a little hard to describe.

Aug 19 (day 7) - Call to customer service. Request an appointment before August 27. Please. After a little coaxing, representative happily advises that he'll send an emergency email to the repair center and we'd be contacted in 1-2 days. He might be happy, but this is day 7 for me. I tell him this is not acceptable. He explains that he understands that it's not acceptable; that is why he sent an emergency email. I ask him if we could actually speak to someone at the repair center. Somewhat exasperated with me, he puts me on hold and returns to advise that we've be given 'emergency service' and someone will be at the house between 8 and 5 on Saturday.

Thank you for your help.

On impulse, I call the store where we bought the fridge. I still can't believe that this is standard operating procedure. I'm looking for someone who actually wants to HELP ME or at least wants to try. Store manager is not available, but assistant manager is interested, understanding, seems to want to help. Asks us to call the store Saturday when the service person is at the house, just to let them know what's going on. Wow. Hope springs eternal.

Aug 20 (day 8) - Service person arrives around 4 PM. Tells my husband that he doesn't know who we pissed off, but he was told by his supervisor that the word from someone “higher up” than she, was to make sure that our service call was the very last call of the day. Nice.
Another side note: I'm not exaggerating when I say that through all of this, we have been polite, although admittedly frustrated and generally making a nuisance of ourselves. Well, it was the last call of the day. He did what he was told to do; although, to his credit, he was obviously frustrated with his instructions. We live a couple miles from the service center, in a very central location. If he was working in the area, he probably drove past our road several times during the day. Nice.

Serviceman locates source of problem. He doesn't have the part; it's not in inventory and will need to be ordered from the manufacturer. Did I mention that this is a Kenmore refrigerator? Anyway, it's Saturday. He tells us to expect the part to be delivered to our house on Wednesday. He tells us to call them to come out after the part is delivered. Oh dear. I'm anticipating another call to customer service. He tells me we can call the service center up the road. I want to hug him. I'm still not exactly happy, but at least I'm talking to someone who seems to care about our situation.

I call the store where we bought the fridge. Speak with the store manager. He seems uninterested in the situation. I assume that he didn't talk with the assistant manager. I try to explain. He tries to sell me an extended warranty. I'm flabbergasted. I tell him we left a refrigerator that was 20+ years old, and running, in the cellar of our old house (and wishing we'd brought it with us). He tells me they don't make things like they used to. Oh dear. I can barely speak. He's telling me about the extended warranty. I'm asking him what will happen if this isn't resolved. What if it's a lemon? He's telling me that the extended warranty would allow us to return the fridge after 4 unsuccessful attempts to repair it. I ask him if the standard warranty handles that situation the same way.

Oh dear. I seem to have stepped in it again. It really was an innocent question. He's stammering; ahem; well, every case is different; ahem; well, it would all depend; ahem. It's okay. I was just wondering. I've never had a problem with an appliance before. I am not at all confident that our problem will be resolved. Really, I was just curious. Thanks.

What I didn't say: Do you have a mission statement? I thought we had a great warranty: 1 year parts and labor for everything; 5 years on the refrigeration system. I never thought we'd use it. Did I mention our history with appliances? And this is the most expensive, snazziest that we've ever had. If Kenmore appliances are crap now, and you know it, why are you selling it to me? They don't make things like they used to! That's your answer to me?

They don't make things like they used to???!! This makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I worked for an American manufacturing company for over 20 years. We made a good product. I loved selling service contracts. Money in the bank. Isn't Kenmore a good product anymore? I don't know where it's made, but isn't it still the same product? If not, why not? It sure costs enough.

Not that you're asking for my advice, but this has to be hard on Sears employees. I'll bet the good ones are leaving as soon as they can find something else. Pretty soon Sears will be left with the snippy lady telling my husband he doesn't have a problem and the store manager selling extended warranties. Get someone to sell fries with that and you can get through the day.

Aug 23 (day 11) - Well you could knock me over with a … someone from Sears calls us. Wow. Nice. Wants to know if we received the part we were expecting. Not that we've received the part, but she actually apologizes for the delays and inconsiderate comments of her associates. Wow. She's sure we'll get the part tomorrow. Says she'll call back tomorrow to check on the status of the repair. Wow. Still no part or repair; but … did I say WOW?

Aug 24 (day 12) - Still no part delivered. Another call to Sears. Nice lady says she'll check on it and call back. Even though she can't seem to find any record of the shipment, she's sure that it will be delivered today. She calls back (amazing!) We still haven't received the part; there is no record of it being shipped; and we can't schedule a repair without it; but she's going to look into it and get back to us. A little attention makes us feel better anyhow.

Oh yeah. She calls back. That feeling of well-being was short-lived. The part is backordered. If it was ordered at all (who knows?), that order was lost. There is no ETA for the backorder. I'm about ready to cry. I suppose this might be funny someday. Not yet.

I try to call the service center that is a couple miles from our house. They're the ones who ordered the part. Maybe they know something. After 30 minutes on hold, with a repeated message telling me that if I want to schedule a repair or check on a parts order, I should call the 800#, I finally give up and hang up. I just got home from work; it's after 5 PM; I'm tired; I'm hungry; I need to make supper. Actually, I need to go out and buy something to prepare for supper. I can't store enough in the dorm fridge to cook. I'm not going to talk with anyone today. I give up. I give up. I give up.

Around 7PM, I call the store where we bought the fridge. I'm almost pleading. The store manager doesn't try to sell me an extended warranty this time. Says he has “ways” to check on the status of the part. If it will be delivered in a few days, that's one thing. Otherwise, he'll be reasonable; we can arrange an exchange. He'll get back to us tomorrow morning.

Betcha big $$$. Go home this evening and unplug your refrigerator. Call me in 12 days and let me know how you're doing. Let me know how reasonable it seems to wait another week to plug it back in. Any takers?

the pounds

I went to the gym at lunch today. I love when I can do that - the gym is across the street from the office, and I feel like I "cheated" by not cutting into to evening plans or morning sleep. I biked for 20, ran for 20. I need to do more bricks because my lower legs/feet sometimes feel kind of numb when I run after pushing myself on the bike. It was fine.

But that's not what is on my mind. I can't get the POUNDS off my mind this week. Be forewarned, I think I'm about to go off on a rant here . . .

I consistently weigh about 145 pounds. There, I said it. This is the most I have ever weighed in my life. I think (hope) most would guess that I weigh less than that; that I carry it well. I think I am also in better shape than I have ever been in my life.

It's a cantankerous number. 145 is often the cutoff for the "Athena" division in triathlons. For men, there is often a "Clydesdale" division of 200+ pounds. This bugs me. I am not a big girl! I don't want to be in the big girl division!

I shouldn't complain; I'm really not overweight. I'm just toward the upper end of the "healthy" range.

I ran 15 miles on Saturday. On Sunday, I weighed myself, and I had gained a pound. WTF! Am I supposed to run 100 miles? I have seriously hoped that my scale was broken, and weighed myself at the gym to doublecheck it. No, it's not broken.

Calories in, calories out, right? Calories out are WAY up. Calories in are pretty constant. If anything, I eat healthier than ever. Sure, I like good food and wine, but I have cut out sugar and processed crap almost completely. So why haven't I lost any freaking weight?

The obvious answer is that muscle weighs more than fat. Yes, yes, I know. Husband says that most skinny women's arms are "like a sock full of pudding". Funny yes, but also true. My legs used to just be tubes - now there is actually visible muscle, shape, and something to flex.

Once upon a time, I weighed about 125 pounds. For years and years. Slowly added a pound or two a year, then weighed 135 for like, 5 years. I wasn't in shape then. But it was easier to fake. I would be so psyched to see 135 again. Even at 125 I was never particularly skinny.

I've been taking my measurements all this time. Since January, I have lost 3 inches from my waist. I also found detailed measurements from 1995, which show I could lose 3 more inches from the waist. I was 21 in 1995. So maybe this isn't realistic, but still . . . 6 inches!? That's like one of those ads where someone pulls out their giant old pants! How did this happen? I really can't complain, my clothes fit better, my belly is flatter, etc. But here I am, complaining.

Another thing about this is that my weight gain has coincided perfectly with the advent of vanity sizing in women's clothing. So, at 125 pounds, I was a size 6, and at 145 pounds, I am still a size six. Of course, the size 6 pants bought in 1995 don't come close to fitting like the size six bought in 2005. Ann Taylor and Banana Republic --> Enablers, right? My waist has expanded with the popularity of low-rise jeans. I am nothing if not in fashion.

One thing I will say is that I have more empathy for overweight people than I ever did before. Fat sneaks up on you, and it IS hard to get rid of it. I've lost a few pounds before with the Atkin's diet, Slimfast, etc. But I don't like to live that way, and it always came right back, and then some. I'm trying to turn back the tide NOW, before things get out of control.

Finally, I want to add that I did not start running/swimming/biking to lose weight. I did it for my health. And for the sense of accomplishment. And I AM healthier. Body fat is down, heart rate is down, I can run, swim and bike further than ever before. Being healthy feels good. But you know, I did expect to lose a few pounds.

OK. I think I'm done. Just needed to vent.

New Week

Yesterday I was feeling kind of sick and headachey all day. I had some wine Saturday night; maybe I was still dehydrated from my run and had a bad headache as a result. I laid around for much of the day, but wanted to stick to the schedule, so got up and went for my 3 mile run around 5. It was muggy, but I had some shade, and the headache was actually much better when I got back. So I ran 3 Friday, 15 Saturday and 3 on Sunday. 21 miles - not bad for 3 days! I can't believe that my knees don't hurt at all.

Of course, I totally skipped swimming and biking . . . As a result, these races are starting to loom ahead of me. 26 days to my Olympic Distance Triathlon. 40 days to the 1/2 Ironman distance. 76 days until the marathon. My stomach gets a little queasy thinking about it.

Schedule for the week is up. Tonight, we swim.

LSD

For you non-runners out there, that stands for Long Slow Distance. Today was the day.

At some point last night I realized that I was supposed to run 15 miles today, and felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. But, I did it!

I was slow getting up today, but luckily was not punished by the running gods with heat & humidity. I hit the road at 9:40, with a plan to run to the Mightyman Montauk course. The course consists of two 6.5 mile loops. It's about 3 miles to get to the start. I ran to the start (3), the first full - hilly- loop of the course (6.5), the first half of the course a 2nd time (3.1), then back home (3). I'm going to clock it in the car at some point this weekend, but should be about 15 miles.

I did OK. It was foggy and misty when I started out, but cleared a little after an hour or so. I wore my "fuel" belt, and brought water, a gel, some money for gatorade, and my MP3 player. 30 minutes in, I had some water. A fit-looking guy parked at the transition area when I strolled up. He had a fancy tri-bike on the back of his truck. I knew he was there to run the course too. Yeah, he totally smoked me almost immediately.

60 minutes in, I had a gel and some more water. By this point, I was hitting the hills, which involved some walking breaks. The views are beautiful, and there were almost no cars on the road in this section. Nice. After 2 hours, I was back in town and bought a gatorade, which I drank a little of and poured the rest in my now-empty water bottles. Still feeling pretty good.

Back around Fort Pond. Hmm, a lot of people fishing today. Not a good time to swim the course. Almost back to town. After 2.5 hours, my body started to rebel a little. Hips, calves, hams, feet, even shoulders started to stiffen up and ache. The last 3 miles are about 75% uphill. Ugh. A lot of (slightly painful) walking started happening. But, like I said, I made it. Covered in salt and thinking about the best way to ice my knee, but I made it.

15 miles is far. Some jock-types don't count their warmup, or any walking bits. But I figure that I'll be walking through the water stops at the marathon, and that won't stop me from calling it 26.2 miles. So I count it. Also, the marathon course is very flat, and out here there are a lot of hills. Hopefully that will help me on the big day! [The race materials say there is 806 feet of elevation gain on the run course. That doesn't sound like a lot - I should compare that to the marathon course for reference.]

15 miles is a long way, and I feel pretty good. But I have been totally falling behind on my training schedule, and I can't have another week like this. I jokingly call it "The Lazy Woman's Training Plan", but I need to get just a little more serious. Pushing all my workouts to the weekends increases my chances of injury. Today, I have several minor, but seemingly random injuries like chafing, blisters, and a cut & bruise on my back from my water belt. All practice, I guess.

Not much planned until dinner tonight. The fog is rolling in. Ahhh . . . . .

I'm back!

Finally, I got back out there. I got back from my trip after midnight on Thursday night. And, although I brought my workout gear, it never left my suitcase, and I did NO exercise (a little stretching and that's it) Monday - Thursday. I was feeling a little under the weather and just never found the time. I felt like I gained 5 pounds when I got back.

On Friday, I snuck out of work a little early and was home by 6:15. I was out for a short run by 6:40. I just went around the little park in my neighborhood, but it was so nice. The temperature was around 75 and kept getting cooler. On my 2nd lap around the park, it started to sprinkle. But I would not be stopped by a little rain. (Luckily I was wearing a dark shirt). The rain increased steadily, and by the 6th and 7th lap, I pretty much had the place to myself and was getting soaked. Did the 8th lap and came home, feeling triumphant.

Came home, had some dinner with Husband, and hit the road for the long drive to Montauk. Back in our NY groove.

out of town

I'm on a business trip. I ate a big steak, and had some wine to frink. I mean drink. My meeting starts tomorrow at 7:00 - how the heck am I supposed to exercise? Grrr.

This weekend I did OK. On Saturday, my body felt tired. I ran 8 miles instead of the 10 on the schedule. Later, I took a 2 hour nap. The humidity takes a lot out of me.

Sunday, I ran 4 miles in the morning, starting at 9 am. A reasoanble time, I feel; not the crack of dawn, but early enough to beat the heat, right? While I was running, I was thinking about how the humidity just wraps around me like a blanket. Or a shroud. Or chains around my ankles. The humidity makes me sweat a lot and drains my energy. It's like running through soup. With a mild smell of low tide.

Sunday afternoon, Husband and I went to the swimming beach again. The water = cold. 60ish degrees. Maybe it's because I was tired when I started, but I got very cold and short of breath almost immediately. Also, there was a lot of swell, and birds picking fish out of the water, right by my head, which creeped me out. And I forgot my goggles. Right. So, I didn't last long in the water.

Later Sunday afternoon. We went biking. Unfortunately, that also kind of sucked, because we got separated and I briefly considered throwing my bike off a cliff into the ocean. I am over that now.

Weekend tally = swim: 250m?, bike: 10 miles, run: 12. Whatever.

training schedule

Husband and I went to the pool last night. It's always hard to break out of post-work inertia on the couch, but I always feel better after I go. At the camp, we were told to, "Be your own swim coach", and I am trying hard to get better.

I've been reading Total Immersion and I watched the SwimPower DVD before I left. Did some drills to work on my stroke: 100 of side, 100 of one-arm, 100 of catch-up and 100 of the fist drill. THEN I did10 x 50 of freestyle. Usually I alternate drills with freestyle, and end up losing track of the total, and counting some of the drills. I AM getting better, but still have a long way to go. I am just not a natural swimmer. Am I a natural anything? Sigh.

I've been looking at the Half-Ironman training plan, and comparing with my actual totals and goals. Basically, I have been setting the bar too low. I should try to double my swimming, and increase my biking by 50%. Training schedule for this weekend is:

Saturday: Bike 3.5 hours + Run 30 minutes
Sunday: Run 1.75 hours

Damn! Well, I'll see what I can do.

new gear

I had some serious gear-envy at the camp. Here is my shopping list:

• First and foremost, a decent road bike - $600-900. Maybe I will also check out ebay for this.
• Aero bars – maybe I will skip this until next year
• New bike computer – could skip this, if I move my computer off the mountain bike on to the new bike.
• Bike shorts – I only have 2 pair, another would come in handy and ensure even laundering
• Swimsuit – I like my suit, but I only have one for serious swimming, and the lining got torn up in the drying machine at the gym. It's not obscene yet, but could be headed that way.
• Running shorts – I only have a few pair in good “quick-dry” fabrics, and only one of those has good zippered pockets.
• Socks – always searching for one more pair of cool-max socks

Shoes are ok for now. I rotate 2 good pairs, so I think that will take me right through the marathon. Definitely looking at $1200+ here, and these are just the bare necessities. I also have my eye on one of those GPS things (look away!). Oh well.

Tonight, Husband and I are planning to swim together. This is good, and I am looking forward to practicing some of the drills I learned in my class and that I've been reading about in Total Immersion. But I'm supposed to run 5 miles today according to my marathon schedule. So maybe I'll get to the gym earlier than Husband, run on the treadmill, take a shower, and hop in the pool. He may have to work late anyway. I guess that's a plan.

The picture is the one that will be on the NYC marathon t-shirts. We got to vote on several designs. I like how it matches my blog.

epic weekend IV – tuesday

Slept like a baby Monday night and woke up 10 minutes before the alarm. I love when I do that. Everyone in the class has the latest gear, but I got compliments on my cute sugoi bike outfit. Bike shorts make my butt look funny, but I guess my tri version aren’t SO bad. My joke continues to be that I like doing triathlons so I have an excuse to buy lots of cute sporty gear.

The big thing on today's agenda was the bike ride. The course is basically two 28 mile loops, for 56 miles total. Again, the plan was to do the first loop together, nice and easy, and the second loop as a time trial. Anyone who wanted to drop out after the first loop could, and I figured I probably would.

About 5 miles in, we planned to stop at a deli on the way. One of our group had a serious accident. C, the bike shop guy, came to a quick stop in front of the deli. One of the guys was close behind him, in aero position on a tri bike. He slammed on the brake, but crashed into C and flipped. I think he caught most of his weight on the heel of his hand, but the force of it dislocated on of the bones in his forearm. It didn't break the skin, but the bone was bulging out in a very bad-looking and painful way. This was one of the more experienced guys, at least in terms of cycling. He was hurting, big time. I didn't see the accident because I was one of the last to pull up to the scene. Someone called 911, and the guys went off to the hospital in an ambulance. We found out later that he will need surgery.

This was disturbing, but the rest of us had to finish the ride. We went out to the Point and around to do the rest of the loop. I am not used to riding in a group, and I don't like being so close to people's wheels. Also, I'm not accustomed to going fast, and I tend to touch the brake on the downhill bits so I don't start feeling out of control. We got some tips specific to the course -- there are some rolling hills, and if you really work yourself to get over the first one, you'll have enough momentum to get over the next. Good tip.

On the way back from the Point, my chain popped out in the middle of a hill. Luckily they had sent me out first, so most of the guys were behind me and one of them got it popped back in for me. It seemed normal at first, but the chain was catching in a weird way, and turned out to have a little kink in one of the links. I think "fa-cocked" is the official term. Anyway the coach seemed a little concerned that it would pop, so the two of us headed back together. He kept an eye on me and gave me hints on when to make gear adjustments. Maybe this would come more naturally if I knew how to drive a stick shift.

While we were out there alone on the course, I took the opportunity to ask him if he thought I should be doing this. I was afraid to ask, but I guess I needed some affirmation. Most of me thought he would avoid discouraging me, being a coach/enabler type. But part of me was secretly afraid that he would say, "Half Ironman is not for you, maybe you should stick with the Sprint events," or "You could really hurt yourself, and I don't want to be responsible. Maybe you should try again next year."

What he did say was this. "Listen, this is an aggressive goal. You are going to need to put in a lot of time to make it happen and build your endurance. I've seen you swim, and know you can do it (HA!), but you need to really work on your cycling or you are going to miss the cutoff." He said I needed to work on my cycling! Maybe my swimming is not so bad after all! (Or, maybe he wasn't paying attention that closely.) He also said, "But, what's the worst that could happen? If you don't finish, you'll know what you need to work on, and will be better prepared next year." I liked that answer. After all, I know I won't die out there. If I can't swim, I'll float, float, float my way to shore. If I fall on my bike, someone will probably take me home. If I can't run, I'll walk. I'm still going to go for it.

I felt fine when we got back - I think the bike must be a good fit, because I really wan't sore in the "saddle" at all. We skipped part of the course, so my total was 22 miles.

2 of the guys skipped the second loop. The rest went back out. I went home to pack up the house so I could head home as soon as the class was over. I even had time to wash the car (it was filthy) and take a shower.

When everyone got back, we got an update on the bike accident (ouch!), and went through the training plan. The training plan is a real time commitment, with 2 workouts a day most days. We also got individualized comments on our swimming, and suggestions on drills to work on them. I tend to almost cross my arms, causing me to "fishtail" in the water, and increase drag. The "one-arm" and the "catch-up" drills are supposed to help, so I'll try that.

We went outside for a discussion of the Pose Method of running. It's supposed to reduce injuries and be a more "natural" way to run. We did some drills to help us be lighter on our feet - high knees, butt kicks, etc. This is worth trying for me -- sometimes I run like an elephant.

Then there was one last swim, which I skipped. I had a 3 hour drive ahead of me and didn't want to do it in a wet, pond-y, bathing suit. I said my goodbyes and drove out into the sunset.

It was intense/easy/hard/fun. So glad I did it.

epic weekend III - monday

So Monday isn't really a weekend, but I took 2 vacation days, so I felt like I was playing hooky.

Training Camp!

The word "camp" made me feel all excited and ready to play. I woke up with a smile on my face, like a kid on Christmas morning.

We started out the morning with introductions and the like. There were 2 coaches - Steve, Ironman extraordinaire; and Chris, bike guru and local bike shop owner. There were 11 of us in the class, a small number which I liked. There were 2 other women, a college student who works in the bike shop and competes on the triathlon team at her school, and the sister of one of the coaches, who was an accomplished swimmer, but a little older and trying to get back into the sport. The college student was in and out over the next 2 days, and the sister was only there for the first day.

Several of the guys in the class had competed in the Lake Placid Ironman, and/or were signed up for next year. Although probably one of the youngest, I was pretty much the weakest link. Sigh. But I am used to being the only woman in the room. It was fine.

After the introductions and overview of the course, the RUN was first on the agenda. The course includes a 13.1 mile run - 2 loops of 6.55 each. The plan was to run the 1st 6.55 as a group, pretty slowly; then choose between heading back and doing the second loop as more of a time trial. The first 3.5 miles was a loop around the pond, which is the swim course, and was also a somewhat logical stopping point for anyone who really wanted to head back. I had just run the 12.5 miles on Saturday, so I figured that I would do the 6.55, then hang out while some did the second loop. If I felt really great, I thought I might do the 1st part of the second loop as well.

I didn't last that far. It was hot & humid by the time we left at 9:30, and I started checking my watch only 10 minutes in. Embarassing. The coach's sister hadn't run more than 3 miles lately - although she seemed to be in better shape than me - so we headed back together. I was hot, dehydrated, and slow. Looking back, I probably should have kept going, and finished up the 1st loop. I think it was the peer pressure of being the slowest, and not wanting to hold back the group. I also wanted to conserve energy for the swim -- drowning would really be embarassing, I guess.

We went back so slowly that we were only waiting around 10 minutes or so when the rest of the group straggled in for water and gels. About 1/2 the group went out for the 2nd loop. The rest of us went for a swim to cool off. It was around 90 and humid. I went right in the water in my clothes. Fort Pond is actually a decent-sized lake. There are fish, geese, and sailboats in the water. Hmm, I suppose they won't allow sailboats on race day? The pond water is a little fishy tasting, but definitely clean. Visibility in the pond is actually better than in the Sound, where my Sprint tri was held. Stepped out after 10-15 minutes, and my performance fabrics dried quickly in the sun. Reapplied sunscreen, and was ready and waiting for our stretching session when the rest of the group got back.

We spread our YOGA mats out on the soccer field and did almost an hour of stretching in the sun. I was glad I reapplied that sunscreen. The stretching was actually awesome, with heavy emphasis on the "problem areas" for most runners, cyclists and swimmers, I guess. I learned some new ones, and got the best stretch of calves, hips, hams, etc as I've ever had. I'm definitely NOT a yoga expert, but with a bunch of 40 something macho guys, I felt like a star student. :)

We broke for lunch, and I tried to make the healthy choice with a fresh tuna sandwich at the organic place. As soon as we got back, it was time for the SWIM. Didn't their mothers tell them you are supposed to wait a 1/2 hour?

People kept asking me if I wanted some sunscreen, which is usually a sign that I am getting very red. I felt nervous putting on my wetsuit, but tried to look relaxed and confident. The bike coach headed out to the middle of the lake on a kayak, and we were to swim about 500 m out and have our class there. Um, what? We are going to just hang out in the middle of the lake? Where we can't touch the bottom? Yeah, that's right.

Well, I got there. I hung on to the kayak during the time Steve was talking. I wasn't the only one, so I didn't care. Thank God I wore my wetsuit - not everyone did. We learned and practiced how to:

• tread water (efficiently!)
• sight on every stroke for better navigation (I need this one!)
• shave time cornering around the buoys
• draft off other swimmers

I am still amazed at how relaxed some people are in the water. One guy acted like the buoy and just hung out there, treading water, which we did corners around him. Meanwhile, I spent as much time as possible clutching the kayak. It's not easy to look cool doing this. ;-)

After all that, I was tired and struggling to maintain composure. Our next assignment was to go swim toward the other side of the lake - about a 1/2 mile - and back to shore. Or, we could just go straight back. Anyone who knows my relationship with the water knows my choice. I headed back, and one of the guys went with me. I'm still not sure if he was tired too, or just wanted to prevent me from drowning. I swam beside him, matching stroke for stroke, most of the way. This was actually very helpful - I should definitely try and do this in the race because I covered a decent amount of distance without expending so much mental energy. At some point we got off course a little and had to redirect. I moved onto my back and stayed there the rest of the way. We sat on the rocks on the shore and watched the others race in. The oldest guy (55) was the first one in. Amazing.

We took of the wetsuits, and Steve had us swim out and back 25 strokes, so he could make some notes on our swimming technique. Although I didn't do all the swimming distance, I was still out there, in the water, for about 2 hours. I didn't freak out or drown. I think that is pretty good. My standards are pretty low in this department, I guess.

So that was the swim. But we still had the bike, and we were running behind schedule. We had a discussion of basic bike mechanics and fit. They STRONGLY recommend road bikes over time trial or "tri" bikes for the vast majority of riders. The tri bikes just aren't are stable or safe. I only have a mountain bike, but I borrowed a bike from the bike shop, and we headed out. The bike ride portion was not for distance, but I think we went about 8 miles. We rode part of the course, but headed into a quiet street with a hill and a cul-de-sac. We did some drills:

• emergency stop - pull butt all the way off the seat and back, brake without going over the handlebars, and get out of the pedals quickly.
• power up a hill - adjust gears to make it easier
• power up a hill - move bike side to side for leverage
• sharp turn - bend inside leg, straighten outside leg, and lean

Maybe this sounds ridiculously easy to seasoned riders, but I actually learned a lot! My bike felt so light and comfortable; I guess that means it was a good fit.

I planned to go out to dinner with the group, but was so tired by the time I got home, I had a protein shake and some cereal, watched some tv and went to bed by 10. It was a good day.

epic weekend II - sunday swimming

Sunday I wanted to take it easy, since I knew I had my training camp on Monday. Glad I iced my knees Saturday night. My legs were tired on Sunday, but at least my knees did not hurt. Took one ibuprofin for good measure, but that was it.

I was restless and wanted to get out of the house, but it took a long time to get Husband and I moving.

We rode our bikes to the swimming beach, which we've never done before. Surprisingly, there is no bike rack there, so we just chained them to a sign. We wore our suits under our bike shorts. Husband had a backpack with some towels, sunscreen, swim goggles, etc. Oh, and one of those super heavy bike chains.

The water is around 70 degrees - cold without a wetsuit at first. It was a hot day and there were a lot of people there, but the water is super clean, and there is swell, but no real crashing waves since we are in an inlet. The it a roped off section for swimming about 50 meters wide and 25 meters out, plus a lifeguard. The water gets deep fast - you can't touch the bottom with 5 meters. I tried to swim lengths of the roped off area, but the waves, fish, and fogged up goggles freaked me out a little. Husband gave me some breast stroke lesson - I still don't quite get it, but it was fun to play in the water and practice a little. If nothing else, I am getting used to open water/ocean swimming and even starting to enjoy it.

We had a late-ish dinner at one of the restaurants on the dock. It's a "locals" place, and boats pull up and unload and clean fish right there on the dock. While we were waiting for a table, I noticed a boat pull in and a group of guys pulling and tugging on ropes over by the scales. Turns out they brought in a big shark! It was a thresher shark, which I have bever seen before. It has a long, whip-like tail. This one was at least 15 feet long, and the final verdict on the scale was 425 pounds! Apparently they got it about 40 miles out. I took a picture with my camera phone, but can't seem to get it to come out. Anyway, it was pretty similar to this photo I found on the web. Don't want to swim with those!

Husband went home after dinner and I stayed at the house by myself for my training camp on Monday. It was spooky being there by myself. All the neighbors were gone, and I noticed every car that went by on the road since there were so few. The foghorn went "broo! broo!" as I went to sleep.

Tally for the day - 5.5 mile bike, 750 m swim.

epic weekend - saturday run

I have done so much exercising in the last 4 days, I can't even believe it. Saturday:

Long run on the schedule was 13 miles, more than I have ever run before. Luckily I had a training partner. K and I palnned to go at 7:30, before the heat of the day. A little delayed, but we were out the door by 7:55. I wore my fuel belt for the first time, and brought. 1 samll bottle diluted gatorade, 1 small bottle water, and a gel - I forget what kind. I had peanut butter toast and coffee for breakfast. It's nice to have someone with you on a long run. We did lots of chit-chatting, and the first 8-9 miles of rolling hills flew by. I checked my heart rate intermittantly, and it was steady at 150-160. I sipped the gatorade about every 30-40 minutes.

Then I started feeling hot. And tired. I waved K on and slogged along by myself. At around 10 miles, there is a turnaround point, so I thought that I would get there, and have my gel and remaining water. I was moving really slowly at this point. K was waiting for me when I got there, about 2 hours in. I told K to go ahead, we were close to home and it was going to take me a while. I came to a complete stop, sucked down a gel, and finished off my water. Only 2.5 miles to home. I took a step, and it hurt. Everything hurt. The bottoms of my feet, my hips, my knees, my calves. The bottoms of my feet?! What the heck!? Really hard to even lift my legs. Heart rate was up, way up, around 180, and the road was almost flat at this point. Ouch.

Nothing to do but walk it off. I walked for about 5 minutes, and started to feel better, probably when the gel kicked in. Jogged 5 minutes, walked a minute or two the rest of the way. Felt halfway decent by the time I got back for some stretching, and food.

Husband asked if I wanted to go mountain biking. I counteroffered with some beach sleeping.

I took a nap in the afternoon, and accomplished very little the rest of the day. My knees ached on Saturday night, and I iced them for quite sometime while watching a movie. They felt fine on Sunday morning.

I get really hungry on any run lasting more than an hour. Sometimes I get nauseated when it is hot, but mostly just hungry. My stomach growls. I think I may be a little unusual in this respect - K basically had no idea what I was talking about. Would I have felt better if I had the gel sooner?

Although I felt pretty crappy toward the end, I was pleased with my performance overall. I finished it, and really felt fine for the first 1:45 plus. The route has quite a few hills, and I usually walk at least some of them, but not this time. So that was good. So, improving endurance, which will come, and one more gel would have probaly fixed it. Next time.

goals, improvements

Today I added 2 new features to the sidebar: a weekly training schedule, and compounding mileage totals for the month. (Thanks for the idea, Flatman!) Although I usually lay out some kind of plan at the beginning of every week, I think this will be an even better reminder. Plus, I can brag about how much I ran/biked/swam for the month.

Can't brag yet. Although it is still pretty early in the month, I basically haven't done any running at all. So, although it is already the 5th of the month, here are some goals for August:

- Swim: 3500 meters (2.17 miles). That's 70 laps, or 140 lengths. A lot!
- Bike: 100 miles. Shouldn't be too bad - 25 miles a week seems quite reasonable.
- Run: 90 miles. This is actually taking it fairly easy, since my marathon training plan calls for 124.
- Other: 1000 crunches. I got the idea for adding this from another blog. I hate doing crunches, and unfortunately, it shows. I've also been having a little lower back soreness, and I think strengthening the abs will help. Plus, it would be pretty cool to have a six-pack.

IAlthough I started the blog in June, I started running in January. Really never did more than 2 miles on a treadmill before that. I have a separate paper running log, and running is the only thing I've really been keeping track of regulary. I just looked back at that out of curiosity. I kicked it up a notch when I got into the marathon:

Jan - 35 miles
Feb - 43
Mar - 35
April - 37
May - 39
June - 47
July - 61

One more improvement to my page. I added a link to conversion calculator because I can never calculate meters to miles in myhead, expecially for swimming. (Thanks Chivalry!). I can't remember where I got my coutdown clock, but I stole that from someone's blog too. Gotta love "view source".

Next week should actually be a good one for the books because I have my training camp on Monday & Tuesday. Can't wait!

busted

So, someone was kind enough to point out to me that the Mightyman Montauk is not in 94 days, it is in 58. I was looking at the marathon countdown. Doh! Total freudian slip.

I'm in a better mood today, so I'm just going to wait & see how my training camp goes, and how the Hamptons tri goes. I'll find out if there is more left in me after that event.

On a better note, last night Husband and I went to the "good" pool. It's been closed for a week for cleaning/repairs, so on Sunday we went to the "yucky" pool, which I hate, because it is older, dirtier and usually more crowded. The locker rooms are particularly ghetto. I'm considering reporting them to the Board of Health.

But I digress. We went to the good pool last night. It was awesome! It has been closed for a week, and I think they totally changed the water! It was cool and refreshing, and not too chlorified or worse, salty (that really grosses me out). Anyway, I did 15 laps. Yes, I stopped in between for some. But my swimming is definitely getting better and better. Going to the pool with Husband and sharing a lane is a nice ritual we do together.

I got my Marathon handbook in the mail yesterday! It has all the details about the course, travel arrangements, and of course marathon gear to buy. What a logistical challenge this thing is. The fastest 9,000 women will start the race in a special area. If your number is 18,000 or higher, go to such and such area, and so on. The cutest thing is that there will be "SpongeBob Square Pants" sponging stations starting at mile 19. At least I know something will make me smile toward the end -- I love SpongeBob!

I am totally psyched!

Also, I came across a quote to inspire me:

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962)

doubts

Last night Husband said he was concerned that I bit off more than I can chew with the Mightyman Montauk. Maybe he's right. After all, I got terrible cramps and nearly hurt myself after a mere 40 minutes on the bike last night. How am I going to last at a HALF IRONMAN when I'll be out there for 6-7 HOURS? (Good question, eh?)

Husband is not doing the longer Tri's or the marathon with me. But we work out together, so he knows my level/limitations. We did a Sprint Tri together, and I finished near the very bottom of the pack. I think he's concerned that I'll need to be rescued on the swim. Or that he should be out there escorting me on his surfboard.

The countdown clock I added to the side of my blog is a source of motivation, but also stress. I've been scheduling some business trips this week in August and September, when will I have time to train? Also, I have basically been starting with my marathon training schedule, and just substituting some swimming and biking for some of the running. I haven't actually been ADDING the swimming and running. I've been realizing that I've been doing it all backwards, what I should actually do is start with a triathlon training schedule, and add some long runs. Basically, I've been slacking. Big time.

Anyway, I'm trying to make myself feel better. I learned some things from my first (Sprint) tri, and my training since then. I barely placed in that last race, but I felt good at the end, and I could have down more. So I'm going to break it down for myself (and my loyal readers).

Mighty Hamptons: 45 DAYS ("Olympic" distance)

• Swim is 1.5 K (.93 miles)
• Bike is 23 miles (38 K)
• Run is 6.2 miles (a 10 K)

Swim. That's 30 laps/60 lengths. I've never done that before - I stop for 10+ seconds after virtually every lap in the pool. But it almost sounds reasonable. Almost. I could backstroke a little if I lose my breath. 30 laps. 30 laps. 30 laps. In last year's race, it took between 21 - 64 minutes for this leg of the race. 30 laps in an hour at the pool definitely sounds reasonable. Of course, I can't hold on to or push off from the wall, but still. My wetsuit and the salt water make me "floaty". I won't nearly as freaked out by the other swimmers kicking as I was in my first tri. I will swim in a straight line and sight the buoys regularly. I will put anti-fog on my goggles. It's doable. 45 minutes would be nice.

Bike. I *think* I have gone that far on a bike at the gym before, but never on my real bike. I definitely haven't biked the course, but I know the area pretty well, and there are no major hills. There are farms and and a golf course, so maybe some rolling bits, but I think I am more worried about the ticks. Last year it took participants between 1 - 2 hours. That's a long time. Long enough that I need to get coordinated enough to drink from my water bottle while moving. But the good thing about a bike is, even when you aren't working very hard, you are still moving. It took me 31 minutes to go 8 miles in my sprint tri. I had "bike issues" that day and was still getting used to clipless. So maybe an hour and 15 minutes?

Run. I have run 6.2 miles or more at least 5 times, and it should be about 10 times by the time the race is here. I will obviously be tired, but my running is pretty consistent. 65 minutes.

In the race packet, it lists the start time (7:00 am), the estimated time of the first finisher (8:47 am) and the estimated time of the last finisher (11:00 am). So adding up the parts, plus a conservative 10 minutes for the transitions, I should finish the race at 10:15 (3:15). Based on last year's results, that would put me in 500th place, out of 633. Since my goal is to simply finish the race, I consider this to be respectable. Again, my goal is just to finish. Plus, I still have 45 days to do more swimming and biking. The course is pretty accessible and I should get to practice on it at least once. This, I can do.

Next Up --> Mightyman Montauk: 94 Days

• Swim is 1.2 miles (2K)
• Bike is 56 miles
• Run is 13.1 miles (a 1/2 marathon)

Swim. That's 40 laps/80 lengths. Never done that. That's like all the swimming I've done in the past month. Last year, it took participants 29 - 66 minutes to finish this legs, surprisingly similar to the times for the other race, which is 500 meters shorter. I can think of 2 possible explanations: (1) this swim is in a pond instead of a bay, so maybe it is flatter and easier, or (2) only very strong swimmers dare to enter this race. hmm. Also, they CLOSE the swim course after 1 hour. Gulp.

Bike. Haven't done that before either. Last year it took participants between 2.5 - 4 hours. Ouch. They CLOSE the bike course at 11:30. (Race starts at 7:00)

Run. I will have run 13.1 miles and more several times before the race in preparation for the marathon. I run slow in the best conditions. But I train on this course practically every weekend, so I will be ready for the hills. 2.5 hours. They CLOSE the run course at 3:00.

Yeah, this looks pretty hard. I might not make the cut-off times, and be a DNF. But I won't DIE out there. (Always looking on the bright side . . .)

My only hope is my training camp and training schedule. Hope they don't kick me out of camp! I repeat, my goal is just to finish.

Strangely, I'm not really worried about the marathon. My goal all along was just to finish; I don't mind walking through the water stops or whenever I need to. Also, I read somewhere that an Olympic distance tri is considered to be equivalent to "marathon effort". So, if I do these 2 events, it should be a piece of cake. I guess that's something.

This was a long post. Clearly, I am obsessed. But, I feel a little better. After all, my goal is just to finish.

Off to the pool!

cramps!

Last night I hit the gym after work. I thought I would do a little Brick, with 45 minutes on the bike, plus 20 on the treadmill. I hardly ever bike, so I decided to push myself on the bike, and take it easy on the treadmill.

It's funny, the "old me" used to ride the bike at the gym for 20-30 minutes and barely break a sweat. I would take over one of the "reclined" position bikes where you basically sit in a chair while pedalling your legs. I would set it on Level 3 or 4, and read magazines or watch TV. I have taken a few spin classes, but basically avoided those because, well, they were hard.

Not last night. I took the "tall" bike, set it at level 10 on a random course, and set the "race" feature for 40 minutes. I came prepared with good music on my MP3, and a bottle of Vitamin water. I was sweating big time, heart rate was up to 150+ for most of the ride. I had the RPM as high as 100, and speeds of up to 25 MPH. Distance was 12.5 miles, calories burned were over 300. Definitely a lot higher intensity than my normal meandering Sunday bike ride style.

Time for the treadmill. Towelled my sweat of the bike (eww), took a swig of water and hopped on the treadmill. Walked for about a minute just to start, then upped it to 5.5 (11 min mile pace) with a .5% incline, planning to increase to ~6.5 (9.5 min mile pace).

Jogging about 2 minutes when sharp pains hit my left calf, then my right. Oww! oww! oww! It really hurt! Really sharp pain, enough to bring tears to my eyes, and a little embarassing when surrounded by people at the gym. I slowed down the treadmill, walked a minute or two, then tried to speed up again. OWW! Just couldn't do it at all. I walked the rest of the 20 minutes, increasing the incline to 5-6% to help stretch the calves and give me a little better workout. Did LOTS of extra stretching afterwards. Then I did some crunches, and got a cramp in the arch of my foot! Oww!

This isn't the first time I've had tightness or cramping in the calves/feet. My calves have been getting really tight lately, and sometimes I get a sharp cramping pain first thing in the morning. Not a nice way to wake up. Also get cramping in the feet when I swim sometimes. I need to head off plantar fascitis at the pass. I do stretch, especially the calves, usually in the morning, and definitely after running. But, definitely need to do more. Here is my strategy:

- Stretch! Every morning, plus before and after workouts. (I usually only do it after running)
- Hydrate! I think I am constantly in a mild state of dehydration, which definitely makes it worse. Drink more water, drink less alcohol. Today I am hyper hydrating.
- Massage! I have this back massager thing which is about to go right on the calves. I also have one of those foot roller things. Every day.
- Shoes! I'm going to try not to wear heels until after the marathon. They really aggravate it for days. Sneakers and flip flops for me -- so much for my professional image.

Today I'm just planning to do some yoga, and some swimming.

back to training

Last week -- Plan vs. Actual

Monday: swim 1 hour [ACTUAL = NOTHING!]
Tuesday: run 4 miles [ACTUAL = NOTHING!]
Wednesday: rest [ACTUAL = BIKED 45 MIN, RAN 3 MILES]
Thursday: bike 30 min, swim 30 minutes [ACTUAL = NOTHING!]
Friday: run 4 miles [ACTUAL = RAN 4 MILES]
Saturday: run 8 miles, swim 1 hour [ACTUAL = 2 M WALK IN PARK]
Sunday: run 4 miles, bike 10 miles [ACTUAL = RAN 3 MILES, SWAM 30 MINUTES]

OK, that was pretty pathetic. I missed my long run, and only swam 30 minutes out of the whole week. I did have some family in town, but still. I give myself a C-. Bleuh. "It was hot" is turning into a pretty lame excuse.

This week's marathon training schedule is: "off - 4 - 4 -4 - off - 13 - 3". Still considering going to the gym tonight, but actually kind of sleepy today. The most important thing will be my long run on Saturday. Luckily, we'll be back in Montauk, and I already have my training partner lined up for the run. This will be the longest I have done so far. Should I wear my "utility belt" with the water bottles and pocket for gels?

What I'm really excited about is my 2-day training camp which is in 1 week. Being out on the course, and having a real coach look at my running, biking and swimming techniques should help a LOT. I still want to buy a new bike, too. Just dropping $$ left and right.

Still obsessed with my heart rate monitor. Right now it is . . . . 57! On Sunday, I jogged around in the heat, (if I would get up earlier, I wouldn't be out running at noon) and got readings in the 165-175 range. OK, fine. Then went swimming, and got readings of 225-230! Is that possible? Definitely above my theoretical max -- does this mean my max should be higher, that I'm have a heart attack, or that the watch doesn't work when it is wet? (It is supposed to). My heart rate is definitely elevated when I swim, I just didn't think it could be that much.

Man, I need to learn to swim.

this has nothing to do with training

I read somewhere that less than 1% of the US population will attempt a triathlon. Well, I have that beat. Yesterday, I gave my cats a bath. What are the stats on that?

Why would anyone do such a thing? Well, for starters, Husband is allergic to them. It's not too bad most of the time (especially for me), and they are not permitted in the bedroom. Obviously Cats 1 & 2 were part of my life BH (Before Husband). I felt responsible for their little cat lives, and did not want to give them up. Luckily for me, Husband married me anyway.

Anyway, on advice of my hairdresser and the Internet, I will occasionally give them a bath. It really does help keep the dander and catty odor down. Plus they have been shedding like crazy in this heat.

I haven't done it in a while, but my in-laws are coming for a visit. Mother-In-Law is also allergic to the furballs. I don't want her to be sneezing all over the place. So to be a good hostess, I washed my cats.

When I pick up both of them at the same time, they know something bad is going to happen and start to freak out. I lock the three of us in the bathroom and let the torture begin. Bahahahhahah!

Cats are very flexible and slippery when wet. And mine have very sharp claws. With a firm grip on the front two legs, I hold the first one under the running tap in the tub. Lather with baby shampoo and rinse, rinse, rinse. I took the neurotic freak in first, and she actually bit me! I know she was just scared, but Husband wouldn't put up with that crap. Also got a couple puncture wounds on my legs. Hope I don't get cat scratch fever. Cat #2 made horrible moaning sounds, but pretty much hung there limply, hoping it would be over soon. Now that's a good cat. I give them a little towel dry and lock them in the bathroom for a while, and let them lick themselves dry before they are allowed back into society.

Now my cats smell of baby shampoo instead of, well, hamsters.

Oh yeah, I did my 4 mile run this morning. AND I got a good parking spot with barely even trying. It's a beautiful day.

geek-o-rama

I love my new watch, and can't top testing my heart rate. Right now = 79. Tested it after the alarm went off this morning, it was 94. Went back to sleep for a little while, then tested it again - only 60. I'm a little surprised at the wild fluctuations.

Last night I finally got back to the gym after missing 2 workouts. Biked for 25 minutes, then ran (with some walk breaks, all the better to test my heart rate) 3 miles. Tried to kick it up a notch on the bike by trying to keep RPM around 90, on a hilly course at level 8.

My watch thinks my max heart rate is 192. I'll go with that for now. On the bike, my HR stayed at around 120-125 range, even though I was working harder than usual. On the treadmill, it was more often in the 160 range, even though I was running pretty slowly at a slight incline. 160 is 83% of my max. That's higher than I expected, since I was running at a slow pace, but I did jump on there right off the bike. I'm curious to see what it looks like when I swim laps in the pool.

Resting = 60
Aerobic threshold = 125
Anaerobic threshold = not sure, but 75% of max is 144
Max = 192

Current HR = 75

I can also track calories on my watch, which is actually pretty user-friendly. I just add calories throughout the day whenever I eat something. I started the timer during my workout last night, took my heart rate a few times during the workout, and it automatically subtracted the "Calories Out" from my total for the day. I only wish I could download all this data into a spreadsheet. What a geek.

A storm front came through last night, and it poured while I was at the gym. The air is refreshing and breathable again. What a difference 20 degrees makes!

new toy

This just in -- my new MIO shape select petite heart rate monitor watch!

I bought this instead of one of the Polar heart rate monitors because there is no chest strap, which sounds uncomfortable. Also the "petite" part made me hope that it would be a normal sized watch instead of a grandfather clock on my arm. It's still pretty big, but not too bad.

I can test my heart rate by putting my first 2 fingers on the silver sensors for a few seconds. Sitting here at my desk, after a few cups of coffee, mine is 61 BPM (beats per minute). I think that is pretty good because they say in the little booklet that 72 is an average resting heart rate. I'm supposed to test it again after waking up without an alarm while still lying in bed, to get my resting heart rate.

I can track calories burned, by testing my heart rate during my workouts. My weight is in there too. I can also track calories in - my target intake is roughly 1800 right now, and I can add calories consumed throughout the day. It will beep at me if I exceed my limit. Kind of doubt I will use this feature. Still, pretty cool!

I'm really glad I signed up for this

Mighty Man Half Distance Training Program
Montauk, New York
Monday, August 08, 2005 7:00 AM (Eastern Daylight Time)

About This Event: This program is conducted by the founders of the Mightyman: Steve Tarpinian and Chris Pfund. Although the main focus is for the Mightyman Half Triathlon, the workshop will be a great addition to all athletes of all levels participating in the Mightyman, Mighty Hamptons or any fall triathlon. A two day training workshop on the actual Mightyman course is included. All who register for this program will get an 8 week training plan that starts on August 8th and takes the athlete up to race day.

Day 1; Monday August 8th:
7:00 AM Breakfast and workshop/run course overview
9:00 AM run on race course 3 – 13 miles with run technique analysis.
11:30 AM – 12:30 Stretch session
Noon – 2 PM free time for lunch
2 PM – 4 PM Swim discussion and open water workshop
4 PM – 6 PM Bike handling skills, discussion about bike position and mechanical check of bikes
6 PM Q and A for Day 1
Dinner is on your own, coaches will have suggestions for all interested.

Day 2; Tuesday August 9th
7:00 AM Breakfast and bike course overview
9:00 AM Bike on race course 20 - 56 miles
Noon – 2 PM free time for lunch
2 PM – 4 PM Open water swim and course preview, equipment discussion
4 PM – 6 PM Training plan discuss
6 PM Q and A for Day 2, wrap up of workshop
Dinner is on your own, coaches will have suggestions for all interested.

More Program Information
A two day training workshop on the actual race course is included. All who register for this program will get an 8 week training plan that starts on August 8th and takes the athlete up to race day. The workshop is August 8 and 9 (athletes are encouraged to be in Montauk August 7 – 10).

Things I have learned

Here are some of the things I have learned relating to my training:

- What to eat. I have to eat a light breakfast which contains no dairy. No breakfast = starving, weak, cranky, delirious. Cereal, or even just a little milk in my coffee = serious hurl potential. Current breakfast of champions is one slice whole wheat toast with almond butter and a cup of tea with one sugar. Some people go out at the crack of dawn with no breakfast. Supermen? Or fools?
- What to wear. Performance fabrics make all the difference. Cool-max socks prevent blisters, as do good shoes. Asics GT200 size 9A are the shangri-la of footwear, discovered through expensive trial & error. Narrow size is not available in stores and must be ordered online. The running shorts with the built-in panties are much better than an extra layer of sweaty cotton. I also have great love for my special running hat and sunglasses. And my cute 2 piece sporty swimsuit and googles which actually fit without leaking.
- Muscle weighs more than fat. I have not lost a damn pound after 7 months of running. Not a damn pound. But my secret weapon, the body fat scale, confirms that muscles are emerging from ancient layers of fat. I've lost 3 inches from my waist- which I didn't even think was fat - and pants are getting quite roomy. Muscle weighing more than fat is the only explanation.
- Planning is essential. I am only starting to master this. If you plan when and where you are going to work out, you are a lot more likely to actually do it. Extra points for putting your running clothes out or packing your gym bag the night before.
- Prepare for the elements. Kind of like planning, but in my mind it means sunscreen, bugspray, water, and/or a few bucks to buy an emergency vitamin water. Oh, and don't forget the flip flops at the pool - who knows what is on the floor of that shower.
- Tracking is essential. Keeping score brings out my competitive side. I'm not actually ready to compete with other people, but competing with myself is helping do more, faster.

I have a talent for stating the obvious. Actually, although these all sound obvious, maybe I needed a reminder as I went out his morning with no breakfast in the wrong shorts, and I could have used some bugspray on Sunday.

In other news, I love my little weather center I added on the side --> of my blog. It will probably make me fantasize even more about Montauk. And, I am pretty sure I am in the market for a new bike. I rode my mountain bike in the sprint tri, but I think that just isn't going to cut it for 56 miles in the Mightyman. Seems awfully decadent to own 2 bikes (3, counting Husband's) in the limited space which is a New York City apartment, but I don't know what else to do. This also sounds like an expensive proposition -- maybe I can find one on Craig's List?

Training

OK, I'm not a total idiot. I realize that I need to kick it up a notch for a half-Ironman. Funny how my blog from 2 weeks ago said that I was crazy for thinking about signing up for this race. I think my mother agrees. But that's OK.

This weekend, I ran 5 miles on Saturday evening, and 9 on Sunday morning. Saturday afternoon I did some ocean swimming while Husband surfed. The water is cold without a wetsuit, that's for sure, and I didn't wear goggles, because, umm, I didn't want to look like a total dork. But I swam around a bit, covering the same 50 yards a few times back and forth along the beach. The tide was coming in and the waves kept getting stronger, so I headed back for our blanket afet 15-20 minutes. I look on it as desensitization therapy. I need to just be more comfortable with open water swimming to do it more effectively.

Saturday's run was pleasant and relaxing. It was during this run that I really started convincing myself that the Montauk race was the thing to do. I ran up to the beach, and investigated the possibility of swimming from the beach, through the channel, across the lake and all the way up to our backyard. Upon investigation, I realized this was not one of my better ideas as it is (a) really far, around 2.5 miles, and (b) full of boat traffic. It would not be wise to bob around where all the fishing boats are coming in. Scratch that idea. There is a perfectly good swimming beach here, in a cove so any waves are pretty minimal. Husband doesn't like to go there because you can't do any surfing, but I can improvise.

Saturday night, we went out for dinner and drinks, knowing that I had to get up for my 10 miles early Sunday. This run was pretty crappy. No breakfast, because I wanted to get out there and get it over with. Started out kind of dehydrated and headachey. (Note to self: no more drinking before long runs!) Left at 8:30 instead of originally planned 7:00. Took a shadier, more "interesting" route through the park on the way back, got lost, and was attacked by horse flies for like, 30 minutes straight. Everytime I get the slightest bit unsure of where I am in the woods - and I was probably 200 ft from the main highway - I start thinking about The Blair Witch Project. Yes, I am crazy like that. Anyway, I had already decided to cut my 10 miles down to 7 because I felt terrible, but my "short cut" through the woods meant that I wandering around in a circle for 30 minutes, so I think I did 9 miles. I was weak and starving and grumpy. Grr. Immediately scarfed down whole wheat toast with almond butter when I got back to the house and felt MUCH better. I did some stretching and noticed that my now-dry skin was covered in a thin layer of salt crystals. Even my face. Like I took a roll in some Morton's salt -- really. This is a whole new level of sweating for me. I had a salty, fried lunch to replenish.

Back to training. This week's marathon training calls for: 4-4-4-8-4 miles, for a total of 24 miles. I'm going to replace one of the 4-milers with swimming, add a swimming day during the week and one on the weekend, and 2 bike workouts on the weekend. Instead of 2 rest days per week, I'll have one, and double up workouts some days, with a focus on swimming. So maybe it will look like this:

Monday: swim 1 hour
Tuesday: run 4 miles
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: bike 30 min, swim 30 minutes
Friday: run 4 miles
Saturday: run 8 miles, swim 1 hour
Sunday: run 4 miles, bike 10 miles

Although I have several books on triathlonning, I recognize that I don't really know what I'm doing. So I signed up for a 2-day training clinic in prep for the Mighty Montauk. It's in 2 weeks, so I'll just keep hobbling along until then.

Everything's going to be alright.

I signed up!

For the Mightyman Montauk Triathlon on October 2nd. I am nervous, excited, and $200 bucks poorer. Here is some info about the race:

About This Event
A triathlon consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. Known as the Half in Montauk. All segments of the event will take place in Montauk, NY. Montauk is one of the birthplaces of triathlon. One of the sports earliest events, the Mighty Hampton’s Triathlon in Sag Harbor inspired a local Montauk Motel owner, fisherman and surfer, Robert Aaron to stage a triathlon in Montauk in 1983 (the Mighty Montauk).

Course
A triathlon consisting of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run (known as a half Ironman Distance Triathlon). All segments of the event will take place in Montauk, NY. 1.2 mile swim Fresh Water Water temps expected in the mid to upper 60s. Wetsuits recommended. Beware of Killer Whales and Lock Ness! 55.6-mile bike. Two Laps on a 27.8-mile Rolling Course. 2200 Total feet of elevation gain. Leaving Town on Edgemere Rd to Westlake Dr. around the Montauk Light House .And out and back to Gin Beach on East Lake Dr. Back down West Lake Dr. Around Gosmans Dock then back to town by Edgemere Rd. with a little add-on to a water stop in the Culloden Estates. Light Traffic and great Roads view of the ocean and bay, what could be better? 13.1 mile run. Two Laps on a hilly 6.55 mile course 806 Total feet of elevation gain. A two lap course that is quite challenging, after a rolling 3 miles you hit "murder hill" followed by two other challenging climbs. This beautiful run course will truly make your race an accomplishment to be proud of! Water stops approximately every 1.5 mile and will have water and energy gels. All segments of the event will take place in Montauk, NY.

This is a LOT for me. This all started because I got excited about doing the NYC marathon in November. I got curious about tri's, and also wanted to get better at swimming as a life-long exercise. I was planning on doing the Mighty Hamptons [Olympic Swim 1.5K (.93mile), Bike 38K (23.0 miles), and Run 10K (6.2 miles) ] as my BIG challenge, and maybe do the Mighty Montauk next year.

But here's the thing. We spend our summer weekends at a rental share in Montauk. Part of the course actually goes past my house. How could I not do it? Yes the swim (my weakest sport) sounds scary, and no, I have never ridden anywhere near that far on a bike. But I know I can do the run, and I still have 11 weeks to train. I'll feel bad about myself if I don't do it. I can train right out there on the course! I've been running there all summer! I can get a full night's sleep the night before the race! Plus, I can't be sure that we'll be in Montauk next year. Or that I will be in shape to do it. Husband and I could decide it's time for some little triathletes . . . but that's somebody else's blog. This is the year. This is the race. Definitely meant to be.

It's crazy. . . but it just might work.

New York

Last night I had a really good run. Still so hot, in the 90s, but the humidity was down yesterday. Left for a run a little after 7 PM with new tunes on my MP3. When I' m feeling lazy, it's very tempting to go run circle around the little park which is only 3 blocks away. But I tend to go home more quickly because (a) I am close to home, and (b) running circles around the park (4x=1 mile) gets pretty boring. So, I headed for the river.

It is about a mile through a slightly shady neighborhood to get to the track I like. Drank so water a a trick fountain which spurts in my face, and did laps around the track. The track is around a soccer field and there were lots of people running and walking, in addition to the players and a few people in the bleachers. I have no idea how big the track is, which is pretty lame. The NYC Parks website says it is "0.25", does that mean it is a 1/4 mile? I read somewhere else that it is a 1/4 around Washington Square Park, but it seems a lot further around the park than around this track. Maybe I should get one of those GPS pedometers. Maybe I'll just ask someone at the track next time I go. This is pretty basic running knowledge that I should have by now.

Anyway, I ran 4 loops around the track, with some faster intervals, depending on my music. In my own little world, I did stretches & crunches on the astroturf, with the sunset in front of me, the river behind me, and two soccer games going on right next to me. On the way back, I actually ran through an open fire hydrant "sprinkler". Very NYC. Then around the park for good measure and home. I think it was ~3.5m over all. Since I have managed to almost completely avoid running in the heat in the midst of summer, that is pretty good for me.

All the goings on in London are bringing back memories of 9/11 and making me nostalgic about my city. They started doing some random checks of backpacks and packages on the subway today. I heard that someone suggested a total ban on backpacks in the NYC subway. Obviously that person does not live ini New York. I really don't see many options for making the transit systems safer. I go through Grand Central a lot, and there are still National Guard types with dogs (bomb-sniffing?) hanging around. We need to get some more of the dogs.

I missed my workout Tuesday, so although today was supposed to be a rest day, I was going to run 4. Didn't happen. Set the alarm for 6 and went back to sleep for two hours. Good thing I am working from home today. Have I mentioned that it is hot?

Cool in the pool

Been so hot here, and I have been more tired and lethargic than usual as a result. Yesterday's workout was missed. I planned to go to a spin class and everything, but left late, missed the start of the class, missed my train, and drove home. By the time I got home, I was so headachey and beat that I just wanted to eat dinner and call it a night. Oh well.

Tonight I got back on the wagon for some swimming. Swam for 45 minutes or so with Husband at the good pool. Hams and calves have been tight since running last weekend, but now they finally feel normal again. Also, they keep the water and the pool area pretty cool, so I feel like I finally got cooled down thoroughly, for the first time in 3-4 days. Even now, my arms are cool to the touch rather than the hot, heavy, slightly clammy heat I've been putting off the last few days. I swam 15 laps or so, probably 10 freestyle, with a few backstroke and drills thrown in. Swimming continues to improve - I try and slow down my breathing and now take breaths only every 4-5 strokes. Less breathing (which quickly devolves into gasping for air) makes the whole process more efficient. I feel good - like I worked my shoulders, stretched my legs, and realigned my back.

DEFINITELY need to do some open water swimming this weekend. The swim leg of the Mighty Hamptons tri is almost a mile, and it will be here before I know it.

HHH

It's hot today. Going up to 93 and humid. I've got 4 miles on the schedule today, which will probably be done in the air-conditioned gym, NOT outside. Maybe I'll swim. Or bike. Gym bag full of running & swimming stuff = options. Maybe I'll bike at lunch and swim after work? Now that would be pretty impressive for a Tuesday.

Bought some sporty stuff online yesterday. "Total Immersion" is a book on swimming which is often highly recommended. Although my swimming has improved, it has a long way to go.

Also bought a heart rate monitor watch. I had a cheapo sporty watch which had the ability to time laps & splits, etc.; but I never really got the hang of it, and it finally died anyway. The new watch will tell me my heart rate without the chest strap on other models I've seen which looks like a PIA. I'm thinking that if I focus on staying in a target heart rate range, rather than just finishing a certain number of miles or laps, I'll end up working a little harder and getting a little better.

Girl in the mist

We had strange weather this weekend. Warm, humid, and misty. Drove out to the beach late-ish Friday night. Worried that we would hit a deer - it was so foggy you couldn't see more than 10-15 feet. (Yes, I have an irrational fear of hitting a deer, but they are everywhere!) Went to sleep with the sound of the foghorn. Broo! Broo!




Saturday it was still very foggy - I expected it to burn off but it never did. Went for my 8-mile run with my housemate. She is also training for the marathon, and did it last year. We left around 10:45, later than ideal but not too bad. The temperature was only in the high 70s, but really, it was so misty that humidity must be close to 100%. You couldn't see the horizon. Or the next turn in the road. Hell, you couldn't see the lighthouse until we were right up on it. (You could hear it though . . . Broo! Broo!) I was soaked with sweat, and had to walk on a few of the hills, but, I did it, and it was nice to be out there with someone. Came home, did lots of extra stretching, took a shower and a nap. The fog was so thick, you couldn't see off the back porch.

Sunday morning's assignment was only 4 miles. Headed out around 9:30. Still warm and humid, but not as hot as the day before. New tunes in my MP3 player made it easier. Husband and I went to brunch. There was another nap. In the afternoon, we went for a nice bike ride up to the point. Pretty much the same route as Saturday's run. My legs were tired and burning at the start, but got a little better. Saw 2 deer (up close) and about 5 rabbits on our bike ride. Many Long Island rabbits are thrill-seekers who like to dart across the trail at the last possible moment, practically under the wheels of the bike.

Drove home through a thick blanket of fog. It was a good weekend.

Marathon training plan, 16 weeks to go:
Monday: off
Tuesday: 4
Wednesday: 4
Thursday: 4
Friday: off
Saturday: 10
Sunday: 4
Total = 26 miles

Again, I will probably sub one of those 4 mile days for some swimming, but should be okay with this!

what next?

so, how am I doing?

On Monday, I did a little run around the neighborhood - only 1.5 m.

Tuesday. I left for swim class, and realized I forgot my towel and didn't want to go. I have access to 2 pools - one which is 3 blocks away, new, clean, and usually not very crowded. Second choice is about 20 blocks away, hot, crowded, old, and kinda of dirty. The locker rooms are really foul in my opinion. Unfortunately, that is where my swim class is held. The swim class itself is also unpleasant. The teacher (really a college student on the swim team) puts a list of drills on a whiteboard. There are 2 lanes reserved for the class, and usually 4 of us to a lane. Although this class has definitely improved my swimming, I just find it to be pretty miserable. Anyway, on Tuesday I did the next best thing - swam 500 meters at the pool I prefer. I think this will probably be my MO for a while.

Wednesday. Travel for work; rest.

Thursday. Planned to run in the AM, but went back to sleep instead. Ran 3.5 on the treadmill near the office after work. Tried to do some speed intervals - cranked it up to 8 and 9 miute/mile paces, which is super fast for me. I was very sweaty and a little shaky afterwards.

Friday. Will try and find some time to run today, but it is hot already and we are heading to the beach later. We'll see what happens. Need to do a long (8m) run tomorrow or Sunday, probably tomorrow, and a shorter one the other day. Maybe we'll go surfing or mountain biking too.

I feel good about the races I've completed this year. I am probably in better shape than I have been since highschool. Maybe better. I have been just starting out, and my race goals are usually straightforward - "finish". So, I've done that.

I think it's time to set my goals a little higher. When I look around these races, I am surrounded by people who are older, fatter, somehow disabled; and yes, faster. Some people really push themselves to the limit - they are huffing and puffing and groaning their way past me. I really never get to that point, and I don't like being pushed to anywhere close to my limits. But, I would like to get faster. And I know it's all in my head - I am able-bodied. I don't expect to be speed racer, but I should be able to improve speeds by 15%. Time to start really testing myself. No time like the present.

65 days to the Mighty Hamptons. 114 days to the NYC marathon.

One more thing

The official results were posted, and I wasn't last out of the water! I was 3rd from last. Strangely, this makes me feel better.

Plan for the week

So, now that I have my first tri out of the way, I need to get back on track for the marathon. I have 2 training plans from the marathon folks, the "first-timer" and the "casual marathoner". My plan is to aim for the "casual", but at least do the "first-timer." So this week, the "cashz" looks like this:

Monday: off
Tuesday: 4
Wednesday: 4
Thursday: 4
Friday: off
Saturday: 8
Sunday: 4

For a total of 24 miles. Also -- this is important - the marathon folks say you can substitute up to 25% of your miles with cross-training. Which I plan to do -- I certainly need to work on my swimming, and I have minor knee issues which I don't want to aggravate. So that is 6 miles I could skip if I do 6 miles worth of xtraining.

Although today was supposed to be off, I went for a little run around 6ish. It is hot and humid here, but I had the time and inclination, so I figured carpe diem. My legs were tired from yesterday's tri, but I wasn't sore or anything. I took it easy and ran 4 times around the park and most of the way home. I think this is only about 1.5 miles, if that, but enough to get a lot of sweat flowing, especially in this heat. We'll call it a recovery run.

Tuesday and Thursday I have swim class (note to self: show up this time), and I have an excellent route to do 8 miles on Saturday. So, I just need to do a 4 and a 3 (I'll count my "recovery run").

So, that's the plan.

So, a girl walks into a triathlon . . .

This was my first one, so I didn’t know where to start. Guess I’ll start at the beginning.

3:30 AM. Finally, the alarm goes off. I’d been tossing and turning since 1:30, checking my phone for the time every 20 minutes or so. Bikes on the car, tri backpacks packed, showers; all done the night before. Roll out of bed, get dressed, make some toast and grab some extra water. Take out the garbage; throw remaining bags in car, on the road by 4:05. A million stars are in the sky.

5:45 AM. Park near the race site, after a stop for coffee, and a near miss with a deer crossing the road. Damn deer. We supposed to be at the race site by 6:00, for a 7:00 am start, so we were actually early. Grab our stuff, walk bike to the race site, find a decent spot on the racks, and get in line for the bathroom. I’m a little nervous. Glad we got there early so I’m not in a panic about laying out my stuff or forgetting something. Chat with Husband (he signed up at the last minute), but lose him in the crowd when I leave to put on my wetsuit.

6:55 AM. Race briefing on the beach. I get in the water to get used to the temperature. Women are asked to get out of the water. Men swim out to the start line buoy, which seems awfully far out in the water to me. We are to swim out to a buoy, then along the beach to another buoy, go around it, back to the first one, and in.

7:00 AM. A horn marks the start, and the men are off. I look for Husband, but it’s impossible to recognize anyone.

7:03 AM. I am only waist-deep in the water, when the horn for the women’s start goes. I catch up to some feet and bubbles, but am soon with just a few at the back of the pack. What just brushed against my leg? Aaagh – get it off! Get it off! Calm down, girl. I am gasping a bit, so I switch to backstroke very early on. I had hoped to freestyle most of it, and only backstroke if I needed it, or toward the end.

One of the problems with backstroke is; you can’t see where you are going. I think the wind was blowing against me on the way out. Or maybe I just can’t swim in a straight line. The race helpers/lifeguards were nice about it though. “Miss, you are going off the course. Head that way.” Oh, thank you.

So, I’m out there, going slow, definitely not pushing myself to go any faster; just resolved to finish the thing. I would flip over on my stomach for a while, but then back on my back. Goggles fogged up, and I really couldn’t see anything. One side leaks, inviting salt water in my eye. Vaguely aware that the beach was on one side of me, the sun on the other. Actually considered making a beeline for the beach, but knew those nice lifeguards wouldn’t let me drown, so I kept going. More like a leisurely float in the ocean, it wasn’t like a race. What the hell was I thinking when I almost signed up for a half Ironman? I basically can’t swim at all.

I was the last person out of the water. DFL. Sigh. As I dragged myself out of the water, the lead runners were heading out. Double sigh. But I managed to yank out my wetsuit, put on my gloves, helmet, shorts, socks and shoes with rubbery arms and legs amid a sea of empty bike racks. Squeezed some apple pie flavored carb gel in my mouth and followed with a Gatorade chaser.

Off on the bike. Eight miles to go. I feel okay once I am out on the course, away from the crowd on the beach, and past a pack of runners. Front wheel on my bike was rubbing against something and making an annoying clicking sound the whole way. Yeah, that can’t be good for the bike. I did this triathlon on my mountain bike, so I consoled myself that my equipment would be to blame for my slow bike time. My slow swim, on the other hand, has nothing to blame but my general freakoutishness.

I actually felt pretty good on the bike and passed 3 or 4 people. Since I know they had several minutes head start on me, this made me fell pretty good about my bike ride. With about a mile to go, I pull up to Husband on the run for a wink and a smile. Hey, good looking!

Back to my home away from home at the transition area. Bike shoes off, running shoes on. Helmet and gloves off, running hat on. Seems like I should have more to do, but I take a sip of Gatorade and head out.

Run starts on sandy beach, which feels all funny. 2 chicks head out about a minute before I do, but it looks like they are running with heavy legs. I pass pink shorts and white top, feeling victorious. But, what is this burning sensation in my calves? Damn you, lactic acid! I try to keep going, but break down and walk for 50 yards. Pink shorts and white top pass me. Grrr.

Burning subsides a bit, and I return to a slow jogging pace. Pink shorts and white top eat my dust. Beer belly is next, followed by gay couple in matching bike outfits. I am easily passed by a couple with a string between them – hmm, that’s strange. I later realize this is because the woman (wife, perhaps) is blind. Pretty impressive, I have to say.

Me, myself and I for probably 2 miles. I remember to say thank you to the volunteers who provide water and send you in the right direction at all the turns on the course. Getting closer. In the home stretch. Of course, many finishers are already leaving, and I am dodging bikes and cars headed the other direction at this point. But another couple is way far ahead, moving slowly. I get closer. Closer. The guy is jogs a bit, then kind of limps a bit. Closer. (Note to self: time for an eye exam?) Right up behind them. The guy’s one leg is mechanical from the knee down. Now that is impressive. Oh well, with a ¼ mile to go, nothing left to do but pass them.

Husband is waiting for me at the finish line, and snaps a few pictures. What a good man I’ve got. I feel great.

So that was it. Not exactly pretty, but I certainly have room for improvement. My only goal was to finish, so I completed that goal. The official race results aren’t up yet, but I know I finished in about 1:45. Which, by the way, is how long it took me to do a 15K six months ago. So progress has been made. Now, if I could only learn to swim . . .

so much to tell, so little time

well, it was a pretty big weekend, fitness-wise. it all seems so long ago, already.

We took Friday off and headed out around 11:30. We made good time until we hit the Hamptons, so not too bad. On the way we stopped to pick up Husband's new surfboard and some gear at the bike shop for me. I bought:

• cute new sugoi tri top and bike shorts
• road tires for my mountain bike
• clipless pedals

Husband says tri is the perfect sport for me because it involves so many outfit changes. Friday night we got back to the house and I got a bike maintenance lesson - we changed the tires on our bikes from nobby trail tires to smoother road tires, aka "slicks". I learned what to do in case I get a flat tire. Put on the new pedals and cleats on my shoes.

So I haven't ridden my bike since last summer, and this was this first time I tried the clipless pedals. Husband warned me that they take some getting used to. He was right. A few circles around the yard, and boom! Like a sack of bricks. Lost my balance a little, and as my feet were conected to the pedals, we all went down together. Once you get used to it, though, it is a lot easier than flat pedals.

Saturday morning. Left the house somewhat early, headed for the race site. Oddly enough, the most direct route involves taking 2 ferries each way, and takes 2 hours. On race day, we'll have to go the "long way" because the ferry doesn't start running until 6 am and that's when I'm supposed to be there. The place is not easy to find -- thank goodness we did this trial run; I wouldn't want to be searching for this thing at 5 am on race morning. The park/beach is very small, and there are no facilities like bathrooms or showers. Bummer. We were able to park right next to the beach, annd do all our transitioning in the car.

Wetsuits on. Kind of guessed how far we would have to go and back, and swam along the shore. There were creepy little crab skeletons in the water. Although I have a tendency to panic in the water, I was able to recognize the fact that my wetsuit makes me all floaty, and I can always backstroke it if I get tired.

Wetsuits off. Bike shorts on. On bike. Moving, more or leass, for 8 miles. Bike route is not a park, more of a quiet suburbia. Still figuring out the clipless pedals, and what gear I should be in. I think I am still working way harder than I should have to. Also, I think my seat is too low. My natural tendency is to put it too low, because that's how kids' bikes ride. Anyway, felt much smoother when I switched bikes with Husband for the last bit.

Bike shoes off. Runing shoes on. Helmet off, running hat on. Gu gel, washed down with some water and gatorade. Take off for the 3.4 mile run. Husband is way faster than me so he takes off out of sight immediately. Wait, who filled my legs with concrete? Legs . . . so . . . heavy . . can . . . barely . . . lift . . . . But I keep going. Slowly, small steps. Burning, burning in the calves, especially on the right. I have never felt anything like this, I guess it is the lactic acid? After about 12 minutes, I slow down and walk for a few. Just as I start walking, who pulls up, but an ice cream truck. Swear to God. I guess it's lucky I didn't have any money on me. Seems like a cruel joke nonetheless.

Legs no longer burning, I ran the rest of the way, and felt pretty good on the way in. Went back in the water for a quick dip to cool off. Would have loved a shower, but it wasn't meant to be. Glad I brought bananas to munch on.

So that was it. My first "practice" triathlon. My first "real" one is in 5 short days! I think I'll be okay.

On Sunday my shoulders were pretty sore -- I'm not sure if it was from the swimming or my tension-filled grip on the bike. Went to the beach and actually did a little surfing with Husband. Ok, it was more like paddling around until I decided I was getting a little tired. But still. Actually, the paddling may have been the best thing for my shoulder - it felt much better afterwards.

Monday -- the weekend continued! So nice to have a long one. My big accomplishment was my longest run at the beach house to date - about 7.5 miles. It's a hilly road to the lighthouse. Took longer than I expected, but I'm not used to hills.

So there it is, a pretty good weekend, I'd say. If I didn't have such funny tan lines, it would be a complete success.

fitness weekend usa

Getting ready to head for the beach this weekend. Packing up, extra food for the cats, checking the weather report . . . I like all the preparations. (Sunny all weekend, 70s in the day, 60s at night -- perfect!)

Anyway, don't know if I'll have a chance to write this weekend, but Husband and I are planning a trial run of my triathlon next weekend. I think the practice will make me a lot more confident on the big day. Also planning on some mountain biking and a long run. And some lobster!

Happy 4th!

discipline

Yesterday, I was thinking a lot about the importance of discipline. Like, it doesn't matter if you do one really hard workout if you don't keep it it on a regular basis. Unfortunately, a few runs does not make you superfit, and you can't just say you're "done" and relax on the couch for 6 months. It goes the other way, too - one bowl of ice cream won't ruin months of eating healthy/dieting. I haven't been very disciplined in my training program, but hey, I'm getting better all the time.

I need discipline in my life. I am just happier and more productive when I have some kind of goals, schedule, plan or list. Maybe it's my Virgo personality.

Slow and steady wins the race.