Two Things!

1. We've had a Triathlon casualty. Lee and I got an email from Sara last week, saying she was dropping out of the training. She hadn't been to any practices for 2 or 3 weeks, so it didn't come as much of a surprise. She had gone on vacation for a week and I think that probably killed her motivation. But I understand. As I told her...it's hard to be motivated when you're not enjoying yourself. She just wasn't having fun with it. We'll miss you Sara!

2. I've had a mile-stone! Tuesday was the first time that I've ever run a mile without stopping. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but when I'm running, walking always seems like a better alternative. So, I always take it. But, this week it was just easier to keep running. And, I did it in about 10 minutes, which is REALLY a big deal. My best mile time was 11 minutes when I was in 7th grade. It's really sad when you're in better shape at 26, than you were at 12. But, I guess it's better late than never!

Nothing Mock About It

Yesterday we had our mock-triathlon at Shadow Cliffs in Pleasanton. I assumed "mock" was going to be defined as a shorter version of the actual triathlon. Uh, not really. It was a 400m swim, 8 mile bike ride and 2 mile run. The actual race will be a 500m swim, 10 mile bike ride and 2 mile run. (Did I tell you yet that we've signed up for the Super Sprint version of the race? As we begun training, we didn't think we could do the longer Sprint version, so we're starting with the shortest possible race we can do.)

The good thing about the Mock-Tri is that you get an idea of what to expect on race day. I did have a little trouble with the swim. The first 200m or so, I had (what I was informed of later) an anxiety attack. I couldn't breath, I swallowed half the water in the reservoir and I felt like I was totally exhausted. It wasn't until the last lap that I had calmed down and was actually able to swim normally. After the race, I was talking to a couple other girls and they said the same thing happened to them. They said our coach Kurt told them that it's a natural reaction for your body to freak out. Obviously after a few seconds of swimming, you're technically not exhausted. So you need to calm down in order to breath normally. Good to know...NOW!

Overall, everything went well. I found it a lot less difficult than I thought it was going to be. So did Lee and she's disappointed we didn't sign up for the longer version. I said "oh you're crazy." It's all about baby steps. I'd rather start off small and survive the shorter race, than try to push myself to do the longer version when I'm not ready. Maybe we'll do the longer version next time. Maybe.....

NOW I'm Embarrassed!

BEFORE YOU READ THIS POSTING, PLEASE READ THE PREVIOUS ONE TITLED "TOE-TALLY GROSS." OTHERWISE, IT WILL TAKE AWAY THE SURPRISE ENDING!

Ok, so I totally just Googled "peeling toes" and I found EXACTLY what I'm suffering from. I was right when I said it's something people don't talk about. It's not pretty, it's certainly not lady-like, but it does confirm that I'm officially an athlete. That's right, it's athlete's foot! I couldn't be more proud. Or more embarrassed. Next time I will Google before I type.

So now I've come to a crossroads. Should I delete these postings and pretend there's nothing wrong with my perfectly-pedicured toes? Or, do I say "screw it! I'm tough! I run! I sweat! My feet hurt like a b*tch after spending today in heels working a trade show in San Francisco, then going for a 2 mile run?!?!" I'm training for a freaking triathlon. Stuff like this happens. I'll just take comfort that my friends and family will love me despite my fungus-feet. I did say I would write about my mis-adventures in this training and this is certainly a mis-adventure, if not a mis-fortune.

I guess I'll be making a trip to Long's on my lunch break tomorrow!

Toe-tally Gross!

So.....what's up with all the skin between my toes peeling off? Is that from all the running? Do I need new socks? New shoes? Is this a normal result from working out? Is it one of those things that happens to runners, but no one talks about it? Maybe they're embarrassed? Maybe they don't want to share gory details? I certainly don't mind. Lee? Miranda? Anyone? There's nothing about this in my training manual. I looked. Time to Google it!

The Guys

When I signed up for this training, I knew our team would be made up of all women. But imagine my (pleasant) surprise when I found out some guys were going to be involved. And by some...I mean 5. And they are all our coaches and mentors. So let's dish.

Kurt - He's our swim coach and appropriately so, since he's probably about 7 feet tall. No exaggerating. And when he stretched his arm over his head to show us how he utilizes his height to help his stroke, he was well over 9 feet I'm sure. He hardly fits in your field of vision when you talk to him. There's no way to see his head and feet at the same time unless you stand at least 10 yards away. So basically, he's tall. And he told me he swims 5,000 meters three times a week. For those of you mathematically challenged like me...that's 100 laps in an Olympic size pool.

Sergio - He's one of our running coaches. I don't know much about him, other than...he knows how to run. So he taught us the proper techniques. He seems nice enough, but it bothers me that he constantly laughs when he talks. I'm sure it's just a coping method for speaking in front of large groups, but it's annoying.

Johnny - He's the bike guy. When we first met him, it was at the run at Tilden Park and he road back and forth up the trail on his little BMX bike to keep an eye on us. I thought he was cute in that granola-eating, not-showered-in-a-few-days, not-shaved-in-a-few-weeks, been-to-burning-man, wears-hemp-clothing sort of way. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about. But then at the ride on Saturday, he had his $2,000 racing bike, was wearing his professional cycling head-to-toe spandex outfit and had clip-ins for his pedals. So I guess he's an interesting dichotomy of hippie/cycling geek!

Mark/Kevin - We first met Mark/Kevin at one of our track practices when he made us run drills that football players do. Therefore, I immediately thought he was a jerk. Lee chatted with him a little bit and informed me that his name was Mark. But then at the swim at Lake Temescal, he introduced himself as Kevin.
So I had this conversation with Lee:
Me: "Why did you think his name was Mark?"
Lee: "No, the guy at track practice was Mark, this is Kevin."
Me: "That's the same guy!"
Lee: "No it's not."
Me: "Yes it is. Maybe you're confused because it was dark at track practice."
Lee: "No that was a different guy."
Me: "No it wasn't! Listen. His voice even sounds the same. He's barking orders the same as he did at track practice"
I don't think we ever came to a conclusion, but I think there is only one guy and his name is Kevin.

Robert - I've saved the best for last. How to describe Robert.....he's cute, he's from somewhere foreign so he has an even cuter accent and of course, he's in shape. Triple bonus points. He either goes to or went to Fresno State (which I know from his Fresno State sweatshirt and his 559 area code ;) and I can honestly say that there were no guys who looked liked THAT when I lived in Fresno. If there was, I may have never left! I'm not a good judge of age, but I'd put him somewhere between 18 and 30. On the cuteness scale, I'd put him somewhere between 8 and 9. You'd think having him at our practices would be a distraction, but it's not at all. In fact, Lee and I make sure it does not take away from our workout. At track practice last week, we ran around the entire track, then made sure we took our walking breaks when we passed him. It's all about logistics. It was convenient when we needed to ask him questions, or just wanted to get a better look. Oh and he drives a brand new silver Mercedes Kompressor. Cha Ching!!

Tour de Briones

There's only one word to describe yesterday's bike ride...HELL. It was 20 miles around the Briones Reservoir through the hills of Orinda, Richmond, Martinez and Briones. Now when I say hills, I mean there were 6 or 7 times when we were going straight up for almost a mile. It took me and Lee more than 2.5 hours to finish.

Now, let me take a minute to rant. The coaches did not warn us at all about what we were getting into. This was a course for professionals, not amateurs. In fact, everyone we saw on the course were all professional cyclists. The "Janes" who are training for the Olympic version of the triathlon did just fine because they are all seasoned athletes. But those of us in the Sprint group were completely unprepared. I feel the ride, though a good workout, was completely unnecessary since we'll only be doing 10 miles on flat land during the race.

To explain just how exhausting the ride was, on the way home Lee and I were so tired we couldn't even talk. We went to Jamba Juice and I was too tired to lift my smoothie and drink it! Then I went home, took a shower, fell asleep and dreamt I was running an endurance race across Mexico. I didn't get out of bed all afternoon, then I spent most of today on the couch.

Of course, I always want to look at the positive. I was so proud of Lee and I for finishing. Especially Lee since she's not a very strong biker. Not that I am. When we couldn't ride all the way up the hills, we walked our bikes. We just kept going and we wouldn't let each other quit. Does that sound cheesy? Our favorite parts were going down the hills. I clocked myself going as fast as 27 mph down those suckers. I didn't bother using my breaks. It was more fun that way!

Here's a picture from more happier times...before the hills.

Ridin'

I realize I haven't really talked about bike riding since I started this whole thing. That's because...it's boring. Well, it's not boring to do, but it's boring to write about. No one wants to read; "I sat and peddled today." But, I'm an equal opportunist. So, since I haven't written about it, I should go back...

Woops! Too far! Let's start here...

This is my ride. Isn't she a beauty? No, I didn't go out and buy this just for the Triathlon. This was my high school graduation gift from Nana. After all, a girl can't go to college, especially Chico, without a set of wheels!

So let me break this down for you. This is a classic 1998 Huffy Superia mountain bike, dark metallic green with 26" wheels, 15 speed thumb-shifting and caliper breaks. This bad boy can go from 0 to 17 mph in 15 seconds flat, depending on how big the hill is that I'm coasting down. I've pimped her out with a gel seat cover (not pictured), headlight, accessories pouch (for my cell phone, keys and powerbars) and a nifty speedometer/odometer thing that even shows me how many calories I've burned. To ward off any would-be thieves, I've invested in a top of the line, genuine kryptonite bike lock made from hardened steel. Four years of college and no one even TRIED to steal it. And that's surprising because even though it looks it, this is not a $2,000 bike. It was actually quite reasonable. In fact, it cost less than what I paid to train for this Triathlon!

Unfortunately, after spending a year locked up to the bike rack outside Shasta Hall, then 8 years on various apartment patios and in storage units, the elements left my baby looking a little dull. The wheels and body were suffering from a mild case of rust, so a few weeks ago Dad and I polished it up. Now it shines. Beware, it's almost blinding...

Because it's less of a challenge, I usually only go biking one day a week. Every Sunday, Dad and I take on the Iron Horse Trail from our house, through Downtown Walnut Creek, past Mom's work, to Rudgear Rd., give a little wave in the general direction of Nancy's house on the hill, then turn around and go home. In all, it's a 13 mile ride and it takes about an hour and 15 minutes. It's a nice route. There are always lots of families, hard core bikers and runners and even some wannabes like me! Dad always likes to make weak attempts at humiliation by gaining momentum, then zooming past me making comments like "watch out, here comes the old guy!" Last week Carolyn joined us for the first time and got a HUGE wake up call. 13 miles is a long ride and she was NOT ready for it. I told her I hope it would make her respect me a little more and stop her making fun of me and my work out regimen. She said she won't make fun of me working out, but nothing will stop her from laughing at me when I'm wearing that much spandex.

Lake Temescal

Yesterday's group workout was an open water swim at Lake Temescal in Oakland. Again, another beautiful place. When Lee and I showed up bright and early at 8am, the first thing I noticed were all the loons. Loons everywhere! I was going looney for loons. Of course, I did my "Norman, the loons" impression for Lee, but I don't think she quite appreciated it as I know Kim would have. There were also Canadian Geese and ducks. Then, when we got to the spot where everyone was putting on their wetsuits, I saw a Blue Heron on the right side of the lake in a patch of reeds. I know Nana and Auntie Ann would have oohed and ahhed just as I did. He was HUGE! We were too busy struggling with our suits to take a picture, but here's what they look like in case you've never seen one.So, our assignment was to do a 20, 30 or 40 minute swim. We opted for the 20 minute swim. Of course. The water wasn't at all as cold as the bay, so it didn't take as long to get used to. But, it did take me a while to put my face in the water. Putting my face in green, murky water filled with loon doo, just grosses me out. But I got so tired doing breast stroke/doggie paddle/treading water, that I had to just get it over with and start swimming normally. When I finally did, I made the mistake of keeping my eyes open under water and freaked out when a fish swam right in front of my face. It turned out to be a girl's foot, but it was enough to make me keep my eyes closed the rest of the time.

Swimming in a wetsuit in open water, is very different than swimming in a bathing suit in a pool. In my pool workouts, I'm able to swim laps for an hour with a few breaks. But swimming in the lake yesterday was just exhausting! Maybe it was the cold, or the wetsuit, or the fear of being kicked in the face by one of the other 40 girls. Whatever it was, I felt like when I was swimming, I wasn't going anywhere.

After three laps around the buoys, my 20 minutes were up. When I was back on the beach, I discovered that I'm susceptible to one of the unfortunate effects of open water swimming...motion sickness. Somehow, some way, you can become dizzy and nauseous from swimming in open water. It was horrible. The world was spinning. It felt like I drank too much vodka, then went for a long drive up Highway 1. I was just praying that I didn't throw up in front of all those people. Luckily, I wasn't the only one suffering. There were a good dozen of us or so sitting around on the beach and looking very green. I was kicking myself when the coach said "if you're feeling dizzy, you should wear ear plugs when you swim." I had brought my ear plugs but didn't wear them. Errr. It took me about 15 minutes to feel better and actually be able to stand up. It wasn't quite the "swimmer's high" we were told we could get from a nice brisk swim. Have I said lately that I'm having fun??!!

A Balloon and a Dream

So the first part of this post doesn't really have anything to do with my Triatlon. I just wanted to show you this. My Dad gave me this balloon for Valentine's Day and freakishly, it's still clinging to the ceiling. Can you believe that? What kind of helium balloon doesn't lose its lift after 3 weeks? It must be radioactive. Even Carolyn's balloon just started sinking this week and it's only half-way to the ground. This is just bizarre! In case you can't read it, it says "No limping Michelle Love, Dad" I asked my Dad when he gave it to me "what do you mean 'no limping?'" He just laughed. "You know, because you're training for a triathlon. No limping." Riiiiiiiight Dad. I still don't get it. But it doesn't matter because apparently it's a magical balloon and I love it!

The second part of this posting is that I had my first Triathlon anxiety dream last night. If you're unfamiliar with my dreams, let me fill you in: historically, they are very real, sometimes a bit weird, occassionally intuitive and I ALWAYS have to share them with whomever will listen. Right now, that's you...

I saw that Alyssa made a comment on my last posting, which is fitting because she was in this dream. (Background: I used to produce with Alyssa when we worked at KHSL in Chico. The link to her adorable family's blog is to the left) In my dream, I was at a pool in Chico and there was a swim meet was going on. Everyone was teamed up with a partner and they were competing in groups. I was in group 8 and I was teamed up with this guy who I had gone to school with since I was in like first grade and who was always on the swim team. So I thought; SWEET! We're totally going to win because this guy has been a swimmer forever!

Just as group 7 was swimming, I got a call from Alyssa who said her twin sister, Erica, was coming down to the pool to cheer me on. Obviously, this made complete sense since Alyssa is in St. Louis and Erica is in Chico. Why wouldn't she send her down to watch me?? Forget the fact that I've only met Erica like twice. Still, how sweet. But when she showed up, she looked exactly like Alyssa, when in real life they don't really look like each other at all. I was confused. I kept trying to figure out who this person really was, but she wouldn't talk to me. So I started yelling. WHAT IS GOING ON?? WHO ARE YOU?? YOU'RE STRESSING ME OUT HERE!! ALYYYYYYSSSSSSSA!

Because I was so preoccupied, I missed the initial warning for group 8 to line up. My partner got my attention and I quickly ran over to the blocks. But right when the gun was about to go off, I realized I had forgotten my cap and goggles and I was still wearing my clothes. Oh crap! My chances of winning are ruined! Random-childhood-acquaintance-guy is going to hate me! I had to force myself to wake up because I was freaking out so badly.

It may sound lame, but trust me when I say it was a nightmare. It obviously means I have some deep-rooted fear that I won't be prepared on race day. As for the Alyssa, Erica and random-childhood-acquaintance-guy....ummmmmm, I'll have to figure that part out.....

Never Go Swimming...

...right after having two margaritas, flautas, nachos and quesadillas at The Cantina. It might have been Happy Hour (or two) at the bar, but the hour afterward at the pool...is just plain ugly.

New Training Buddies

One of the best things about doing this program, is being able to go places I normally wouldn't go. Of course, I would have never pictured myself swimming in the bay at Aquatic Park. Yesterday, our team went for a run at Inspiration Point in Tilden Park in Berkeley. It was so beautiful, especially when we got to a part that overlooked the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We couldn't help but stop for a minute and admire the view. Lee and I were both kicking ourselves for not bringing our cameras.

After that run, Lee and I went to the Lafayette Reservoir to walk the three mile loop. Another beautiful location. I hadn't been there in so long, I had forgotten how nice it is. We decided to bring two friends with us, just to make it more interesting. Lee has two dogs who love going for walks. Teddy, the pug, was hilariously spastic the entire time and kept cutting me off whenever I would try to run. Kalaani (I don't know if I'm spelling that right) was a hit with her little backpack. I don't know if you can really see it in the picture, but she was carrying our water bottles and lunch in her pack. What a trooper! Almost everyone stopped to admire how cute she was. We definitely agreed.