Bikes, Bike Racks, and Baseball

This will be short because I'm ashamed to admit I didn't work out today.

However, I did ride a bike for about 5 minutes. It was the Giant TCX 1:




It's a cyclocross bike I found at a nearby bike shop. It was a nice ride. Handles bumps and gravel better than a road bike, but so much lighter than a mountain bike. Made for speed, not comfort (like a hybrid). Overall... perfect.

It's a bit on the pricey side... $800. That's not a lot for a good bike, but considering I began with the instructions "find a used bike" from my mom... $800 is a lot. I think $300 will be out of my own pocket (thank you, birthday money!).

After I made the final decision on buying this bike, I went through all the steps in my head. And as soon as I got to the part where I left the bike shop, it hurt me to imagine stuffing my brand new bike in the trunk of my car.

Lucky me... because I found a woman on craigslist who lived only 20 minutes away and was selling a spare tire bike rack. I drove out immediately and purchased it for $25.

The next step comes tomorrow. By the end of the day, I will be the proud owner of a brand new bicycle. I havn't been the proud owner of a new bicyle since I was 12... this is a big deal.

After that, I need to worry about the pedals. The pedals on my Giant TCX 1 are clipless.

Essentially, they look like this:



What you are SUPPOSED to have is cycling shoes, which "clip" into the clipless pedals like this:



But... since I'm a beginner, that's a bit much to learn (and a lot much $ to spend).

So instead, I need to buy instep adaptors. They will clip into my clipless pedals and allow me to wear normal shoes:



Overall... I'm excited. New bike... NEW BIKE! Yay.

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Random non-training-related sidestory:

My station bought out a minor-league baseball stadium tonight. All the employees got box seats, so I went. I was sitting next to 3 on-air girls.

About halfway through the game, a stadium employee comes over and taps on the arm of the girl next to me. He tells her that one of the players thinks she's pretty and wants to ask her out.

... She got asked out by a baseball player... DURING a game... Odd? Cute? I'm not sure.

During the rest of the game, the employee returned 2 more times... once to give her the player's phone number, and once to give her the player's baseball card haha.

From what I saw, the baseball player didn't play a single second of the entire game. He didn't even seem to care what was going on with the rest of his team... he stared at her the ENTIRE game.

I Am Awesome

Less than 2 months until the big (little) race. Here is a (confusing) diagram of the race course:


The dotted line in the water is the first leg... a .25 mile swim. The solid line on the left is the second leg... a 6.2 mile bike. The dashes to the right of that is the final leg... a 1.5 mile run.

I've been feeling especially lazy and slow recently. I needed something to jolt me out of that. I needed something to get me over my plateau and on to bigger and better things.

As I've said before... I'm not fast. I'm not good, and I can't go long distances in any of the three events. So keeping that in mind, today was a huge personal breakthrough.

I woke up and it was 69 degrees, overcast, and raining a little. It was the PERFECT day for a run. And I figured I'd follow that up with a swim (since I havn't swam in over a week).

I felt good and I felt motivated, so I mapped out race distance for my run:



It starts and finishes at the same location (the Y). It's funny how short 1 1/2 miles looks when you plot it out like this.

So I got to the Y, checked the clock in my car (I forgot my watch (the clock said 11:45)), and started running.

The cool air and the drizzling rain felt great. I decided to leave my IPod at home (I'm not allowed to use it during the race), and I was suprisingly okay with that.

At .3 Mile, my shorts starting riding up.
At .7 Mile, I got a cramp (yes, I'm a wimp).
At .9 Mile, my shorts starting falling off.
At 1.1 Mile, my cramp came back with vigor.
At 1.2 Mile, I was thoroughly bored.
At 1.4 Mile, I envisioned stopping.
At 1.5 Mile, I envisioned how proud I would be if I didn't.
And at 1.55 Miles, I crossed my imaginary finish line, smiling.

I ran the full 1.55 Miles without stopping once. I didn't even do any of those fake stops to "tie my shoes" or "stretch my calf." And immediately after I finished, I got into my car and checked the clock... 12:00 on the dot.

I estimate that if you total up the time it took me to tie and untie my car key from my shoelaces, it would be about a minute. So my final time was 14 minutes.

That comes out to a little under a 10 minute mile. It's not fast, but I did it without any stops... without any help. And I didn't feel like I was going to die at the end, which is always a good sign.

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After beating my personal best in running (at least, since high school), it was time to swim. And I had this crazy thought that maybe I could beat my personal best in that too. Maybe I could swim the race distance without stopping. All the other times that I swam the 7 1/2 laps, I stopped at least once to rest my arms and catch my breath.

So I hopped in the pool and, still tired from my run, I began to swim. I had 7 1/2 laps to swim... also known as 15 lengths of the pool.

At 1 Length, I had second thoughts.
At 4 Lengths, I felt great.
At 7 Lengths, it was a steady pace.
At 12 Lengths, I was counting down.
At 14 Lengths, my form was sloppy.
And at 15 Lengths, I had completed 2 personal bests in one day.

I swam a quarter mile without stopping, and without pushing off the wall when I turned around. To my surpise, I found that I was able to keep up my stamina and swim longer when I did not do my flip turns. I didn't realize how much those were wearing me out when I practiced.

Total, it took me 7 or 8 minutes, which is a very admirable time. Now I just need to keep that time once I hit the open seas (aka Lake Michigan).

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Day 5 of the bike search.

It seems to get harder and harder each day. With each new peice of information we learn, the decisions get more complicated. Every option has its good and bad points.

But I finally found the perfect bike....



Eh. I'm a liar.

My parents' trip to two bike shops this afternoon resulted in a more difficult choice. They think I should steer clear of road bikes. The reason are the wheels. They are small and thin and don't handle rough terrain well. I've never riden a road bike for an extended period of time, so I'm not sure exactly how rough "rough" is.

The salesman showed them some hybrids. Those are basically a road bike frame with mountain bike-like wheels. It seems great in theory, but most (if not all) hybrid bicycles come with flat handlebars (like on a mountain bike), when I really have my heart set on drop handlebars (the ones that curve forward).

During my extensive bike research on Google, I found a third option... cyclocross. They are bikes made for this crazy cyclocross sport where the athletes ride their bike a lot and then carry it through a lot of mud. I'm not exactly sure the difference between Hybrid and Cyclocross, but the cyclocross bikes have drop handlebars AND rougher wheels... all plusses in my book.

Here is the Redline Conquest Sport. It's a Cyclocross Bike that runs for about $650 (perfect):

... The problem is now going to be finding a cyclocross bike that I can take for a test drive. They don't seem to be common in our bike shops here. Gah.

Today is Sunday. I have the next two days off. By the end of my "weekend," I want to have a new bike.

An UnBEARable Day

Ok, so the title is a lie. My day is going fine. But I needed a good lead-in to this story. 2 days ago, my station aired a story about a guy in Colorado who was riding his bike and collided with a bear. Here is the story via a Boulder news station:

BOULDER - A bicyclist had a high-speed collision with a black bear Tuesday afternoon while riding down Old Stagecoach Road. It's an encounter they'll both remember.

Boulder resident Tim Egan, 53, is training for the Triple Bypass Bike Race. He and his nephew estimate they were traveling at about 45 miles per hour on the hill just west of Boulder. Neither one could believe what happened.

"I saw a blur and thought to myself, 'Big dog.' Then just as I was hitting it, I saw this gigantic bear head with huge teeth. He was surprised to see me and I was surprised to see him. It was almost like a cartoon when we collided," Egan said.

Egan and his bike were thrown through the air. Egan's breath was knocked out and he was afraid he'd broken his back. He couldn't move for several minutes. His nephew pulled up on the scene just seconds later and told him the bear was still there.

"I remember thinking to myself, 'I'm alive, but the bear's here. Oh, this is bad.' I mean, this bear was as high as my waist. He was extremely well-fed and a big guy. And he wasn't happy. He looked at me and he opened his mouth," said Egan.

Egan's nephew says the bear raised up onto his back legs. "He wasn't leaving the scene," said Egan.

Eventually, though, the bear sauntered off into the woods, apparently uninjured. Egan, though, was bleeding profusely and his bike was bent. He and his nephew got it straightened out and rode to Boulder Community Hospital.

One longtime homeowner on Old Stagecoach Road confirmed there's been a very large bear in the neighborhood over the past few days. Jerry Dancy also says he's surprised bicyclists aren't killed as they race down the hill.

"We've got bears, we've got lots of deer that dart across the road. It's very dangerous for bicyclists," said Dancy.

While Egan had to go to the hospital, he doesn't think the bear had any problems.

"I don't think I could have hurt him," said Egan. "It was literally like running into a brick wall. I'm glad my nephew was here, or nobody would have believed me. I told him, 'I demand that this story be told at my funeral, because it'll get a laugh out of everyone.'"

Haha. I got a kick out of this story. Thank goodness I live in Illinois and bears are uncommon. Although, if I did come across one, I would only be going about 12 mph, so I'd have far more time to process what was happening and come to a stop (immediately followed by a quick getaway in the opposite direction!).

Not to be the 'crazy animal lady', but I can't imagine what the bear must have thought about the whole situation. Even if he was big, it still must've hurt pretty bad.

Here is another photo of a bear... just because it's so darn cute...

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In lue of dragging my lazy butt to the Y this morning, I drove over to the only other bike shop in the area. A little bit further away-- but worth it because it had a good selection.

My first trip to the bike store resulted in road bikes costing over $1000 each. This trip was far more successful. I told the sales girl that I knew nothing about road bikes... that I didn't want to spend a lot... and that I'm, relatively speaking, a beginner.

She showed me the Trek 1000 WSD.

It's one of the cheapest brand-name road bikes on the market. Plus, it's specifically designed for women (whereas most bikes are mens' or unisex).

I was well prepared. I had gone online and looked up the bikes that this store had in stock and saw this was the cheapest. I knew she would show it to me. I googled it and found reviews. Problem is, the reviews were all mixed...

"Cannot do sharp turns very easily. Foot hits the wheel when turning sharply."

"I am 5'9" and the bike fits me wonderfully. It is a great starter bike and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to start cycling."

"The blue paint chips very easily, my foot hits the front wheel when I turn sharp corners."

"I am quite satisfied with my new and first road bike. "

"One problem is the fact that I can not do full or fast Uturns, my foot hits the front wheel depending on what stage of pedalling I am on. "

It seems that everyone had the same problem with the sharp turns. So I took it out for a short ride. I regret not dressing appropriately. I was wearing jeans and they were getting caught in the gears when I pedalled. I eventually gave up on looking normal and rolled them up to my knees.

It was hard to get going using the pedals with straps on them.

If I tried to put both my feet in the straps too early, I fell over. But if I waited too long, then the straps dragged on the ground. Definitely something to get used to.

I didn't notice the problem with sharp turns... but then... I didn't make any sharp turns. I could envision the problem arising, though. If I return, I'll need to look into that.

Overall, it felt good. It felt light. It felt fast. Generally, I enjoyed it.

I test rode one other similar bike, but it didn't fit as well. The Trek 1000 WSD goes for somewhere in the $600's (I can't remember exactly). I'm still not sure whether I'm going to go the new or used route. I sent 2 more emails to people on craigslist. We'll see how this all turns out.

10 Miles, and One Picture Made It All Worthwhile

I actually went to bed before 2am last night. And I actually got up before 11am this morning. So I decided it would be a good morning for a long bike ride.



I went 10 miles. It took me a little under an hour. I felt really slow. 10 mph isn't good for biking. I realized while I was trucking along just how much I'm looking forward to a new bike. Even if it's a new used bike. A road bike in general will make a huge difference.

Here are some photos from my ride:

This is under a bridge. The river water had flooded the path and left a 4 inch slab of mud. What I thought was funny was that the mud was now growing tiny plants. Hundreds of tiny plants growing without sunlight or real soil...


Here is the moment everyone has been waiting for. I stopped at a park on my way home...

Went around the side to the water fountain...

And got a picture of the infamous sign...

This time around, I decided NOT to drink the water. I just took some and splashed it on my face and arms.

10 minutes later, I wondered why my face was burning.

I'm Starting to Hate Bikes

All of this has blown way out of proportion... just like I predicted it would.


I just sit on the internet and look at bike after bike after bike. I know my mom is doing the same thing at home. It's so hard to pick out a bike from the internet. My town only seems to have 2 bike shops, but I've already crossed one of them off the list because it's too expensive.


There is just too much. Too many. All these options... I hate the options. Sigh.


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I woke up late this morning. I had to physically push myself out of bed. I threw a mental temper-tantrum at the thought of putting on my workout clothes. Once the clothes were on, I was absolutely desperate for an excuse to stay inside.


4 Reasons it Sucks to be a Girl during Triathlon Training:


1) Because I treat myself to a manicure and pedicure, and 2 days later, the chlorine from the pool has made my nails look like this...






2) Because guys have less clothing to worry about. Guys can just throw on a pair of spandex and wear that for all 3 events. I'm still trying to figure out how this sports bra and bathingsuit relationship is going to turn out.

3) Because girls have fewer hours in the day which are considered safe to be outside alone.


4) And lastly... Because having a bad hair day (or a HORRIBLE hair day), is NOT an excuse to skip your workout...









After fussing with my ugly hair, I was left with only 15 minutes to work out. I ran for 10 minutes. The heat was so excruciating, I thought I was gonna melt. I came home and looked at weather.com to find out it was 86 degrees outside. Eeek. I felt sore and tight and slow. I think Ryan needs to come back. When he was running next to me, the time passed a lot quicker.

In a way, I think I've hit a plateau with my training. I can't seem to get past 12 laps in the pool, 15 minutes running, and 7 miles biking. Something to work on.



____________________________________




On a more positive note, I was looking at the race roster and saw this...








My name may not be Mary nor Robert.... but it most definitely IS Kelly. So I'm signed up and confirmed and ready to race...

... Well... sort of.

What is This Thing on My Head?

It was a lazy day. Ryan left this morning and headed back to Philly. I headed straight home and crashed for 3 more hours.

But once I woke up, I remembered that I needed to work out. I need to get back on my daily training schedule. I havn't done a brick workout in 2 weeks... eek.

So I decided I would go biking. With our bike path still pretty much under water, I needed a new route.



It was 6 1/2 miles through downtown with the turn-around point being a local bike shop. I wanted to explore their new bikes.

Side story: I've had my Purple People-Eater bike since I was in 4th grade. It's a purple speckled Huffy mountain bike with rusty bolts and moody gears. In its prime, it was a vision in purple. Its rims were shiny and its gears were efficient. But, 14 years later, it's a mild disgrace.

I didn't want to say anything about it to my mom, because I knew she would try to buy me a new bike.

And so when I accidentally slipped to my mom this past weekend that my bike, well... sucked, the prophecy came true. Mom: "Start looking for a bike. It'll be your birthday present." Ha... never mind all those OTHER gifts I recieved.

So we started looking at used bikes. But it's hard to pick out a good used bike from a photo on craigslist. Plus, I'd have to make a decent drive just to check them out in person. And what's a good price for a used bike? Is $700 too much? Is $50 too little?

We found a bike going for $400 that was practically new. The seller claimed it had less than 30 miles on it. I don't know a whole lot about what makes a "good" bike or a "bad" bike... but almost ANYTHING is an upgrade to what I'm riding now.

Here's the $400 bike:


The catch is... he said he bought it for only $445. First off... that seems cheap. Does that mean it's a bad bike? Is it a good enough bike for a beginner like me? Second of all, it's only a $45 difference. Which got my mom and I to thinking... should I just suck it up and buy a new bike? Is the $45 worth getting it brand new and all mine? But if I get into the "new" department, am I gonna get swept away and end up with something more expensive?

There are SO many questions and very few answers.

So I thought a trip to the local bike shop might help me figure things out. So I hoped on old trusty (rusty) and headed off.

____________________________________


By the time I got to the bike shop, I felt good. It was a nice day for a bike stroll through downtown. I didn't realize how hard I was riding until I got into the store and took one look in the mirror. My hair was sticking up and sweat was pooling on my stomach and dripping into my eyes.

I glanced around at the road bikes they had on display and was horrified at their price tags... all $1000 and up. NOT for me. I was a beginner. A sweaty, inexperienced beginner.

But this beginner had another mission. I figured since I had come this far, I might as well buy a helmet while I was at it (4th grade was also the last time I owned one of those).

Apparently things have changed a lot since my purple speckled (yes, it matched my bike) helmet. The helmets at the bike shop were expensive and fancy. Large and pointy and one-size-fits-all.

After some awkward and probably stupid "helmet questions" for the store clerk, I decided on the cheapest helmet they had. And I decided on gray.

Since I had rode my bike to the store, I had no place to stash my new helmet except on my head. So I ditched the box and hit the open road.

... It wasn't until 2 blocks later when I glanced in the reflective storefront of a run down antique store that I realized how stupid I looked!

Are helmets supposed to make your head look this huge?! Are they supposed to have that stupid little visor on the front? Are they supposed to make your head sweat profusely?

Oh the things I go through. I feel like a total idiot wearing this.

My Name is Kelly

Whether you know me or not, I think I've thoroughly established the fact that my name is neither "Mary" nor "Robert."


When I was showing Ryan the race roster for my first triathlon, THESE were the only two first names that shared my last name. And that's just not right. So, even though I have an email confirming that I signed up and paid... I'm not on the list to participate. Uh oh.

Looks like I need to make a phone call. I would hate to think I've been doing all this for nothing.

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On a related note, I'll be the first person to admit that I've been really bad about training this week. Ryan got in on Wednesday. Of those 6 days, I have worked out on only 3 of them. I'm aiming for a realistic goal of every other day, which I've stuck to pretty well.

However, the workouts that I have done have been pretty pathetic and short. I've been completeing the bare minimum in each sport.

However, in doing so, I suprised myself. Last night, I went biking. It was 8 pm and the sun was going to set at 8:30.

In 35 minutes, I rode my exact race distance (6.2 miles). This included lots of hills, bugs in my eyes (and mouth), riding my rusty old mountain bike, and being stopped at 3 different stoplights.

I was proud of myself. That's faster than I thought I could do it. I was looking at last year's race results, and it's about normal for women my age. That's GREAT... I'm NORMAL! Better than being slow.

That's it for now. Sorry about the lack of posts... I've been super busy. I'll return once Ryan heads back to Philly.

Ryan is Here

And we went running this morning.

And he's faster than me.

And he wasn't as tired as me at the end.

And when I wanted to stop, he wasn't ready to.

This is what he looked like (plus some running shoes, minus the briefcase):




And this is what I looked like (plus a shirt and minus the stupid grin):



Just sick.

I really need to improve on this.

Mini Victories

I ran the longest I've ever run today.

Disclaimer: Not the longest EVER... just since my training started. And not the longest without stopping (that's currently set at 13 minutes (on a treadmill)).

But, I ran 23 minutes, stopped 3 times, and travelled about 2 1/2 miles. That's an estimated 9 1/2 minute mile, which I know isn't exactly GOOD, but it's good for me and where I started 4 weeks ago.

Yes... it's officially been 4 weeks today.

On Sunday, I swam the most laps I'd ever done before (13).

These all seem really trivial... but they're minor victories that will hopefully build upon eachother until race day. Considering I began this program as something pretty close to a couch potato, I'd say I'm making good progress.

Plus, I got to test out my new shorts today:


Shorts Day 1: Legs feel cool and stylish.

Could these be race day shorts? The next test will be to see how they stand up when they're soaking wet.

Time to run (metaphorically) and frantically start cleaning my apartment. Ryan flies in tomorrow morning for a week-long visit. I'm super excited.

He told me he was going to make sure I kept up with my workouts. I told him I would only do my workouts if he came with me haha. We'll see what happens...

My Day... My Town... My Weather

What a day. What a week. I have been awake and asleep so many times that I barely know what day it is. I have worked enough hours at the station for me to be TWO employees.

And all of this work and sleep and work and nonsense has rudely disrupted my training schedule.

I had this brilliant idea that I would squeeze in a workout today by biking to work this morning. I figured, since it would be 5:30 in the morning, there would be no traffic. Plus, yesterday, it was gorgeous out.

Of course I'm far better at planning than I am at executing my plans. But on this particular day, I'm quite thankful I decided to scrap the biking-to-work idea.

This is what the sky looked like on my way to work:

Right outside of the station, it looked even worse. I thought I saw the angry eyes of God staring down ready to smite me and my car...

Then came the rains.

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After an eventful morning and a 4 hour nap (don't judge me-- I only got 3 hours of sleep last night), I decided I would drag myself to the Y.

Contrary to what I said in my last post, the Y is NOT closed. I just thought it was because it's barracaded with sandbags, the parking lot is completely blocked off, and no one is there. Stupid me for making that mistake.

Here is a photo of the parking lot. The red arrow shows where my car WOULD be parked if there weren't large puddles everywhere:

Like I said, the Y is right next to my bike path. The condition of the bike path depresses me. It's going to be a while before it's back to normal. The red arrow shows where I THINK the bike path is:

Even though there were only 6 people total at the Y, apparently all 6 of them decided they wanted to swim. I even saw 'Flailer' there in the far lane.

On a mini tangent... I bought a swim cap the other day. I havn't used one since junior high and I thought I should start getting used to it. Plus, I generally liked the idea of my hair being dry-ish when I was done.

So this afternoon was the first test run. When I put it on, it felt like it was slipping off. I pulled it down as far as I could, but it would inch up my forehead every chance it got.

Once I started to swim, I was amazed at how BOUYANT my head felt! It was nice during freestyle, but felt awkward when I made my turns.

I swam a total of 13 laps. It doesn't seem like much, but it's the most I've swam in one "sitting" so far. Plus, it's almost twice the distance that I need to swim for my race. However, I did stop a few times. I need to ween myself off that. Stopping to rest in the middle of Lake Michigan sounds like a bad idea.

After my swim, I took my swim cap off and found, to much dismay, that my hair was SOAKED. Apparently I suck at putting them on. I'll have to look into that. Maybe my head is too big.

_____________________________________

Leaving the Y and feeling a little pathetic about my measly 13 laps, I went to get in my car and suddenly noticed the car next to me:


For those of you that don't know, that's the symbol for an Ironman. The car also had an Ironman license plate holder. This made me wonder if this person was also swimming laps in the pool. I wish I had known that. I would LOVE to talk to them and ask them about their first triathlon. It's a long journey from completing your first triathlon to becoming an Ironman.

Sabotage!

Someone up there obviously does NOT want me to do my B-Fit B-Day Challenge. And they have succeeded.

a) I have to work again at 6 am tomorrow. That's right... I get to work at 6am, and I'm not finished until 11pm. Yay. That knocks me down to only 2 days to complete the challenge.

b) I drove by my bike path this evening, and it is GONE. The floods are a'comin, and this is proof. It is 100% underwater. This makes biking and running slightly more annoying and inconvenient.

c) My Y, which is directly NEXT to my bike path, is closed. Shut down. Not open. Locked. Fear of flood waters? Perhaps. This makes swimming absolutely impossible.

In conclusion, I guess I'll just mark it on my calendar for next year. Even nature is against me.


(This photo is my rendition of what it would look like for 3 young and eager children to be told by nature AND the cops that they, too, aren't allowed to do their B-Fit B-Day Challenge. They are obviously quite sad.)

In second conclusion, it seems like it's been AGES since I've worked out. I'm getting ansy.

Sunrise, Wha?

I saw a true sunrise this morning. Probably for the first time in months. When you work 2nd shift, you generally try to avoid being up that early if at all possible.

I was sleeping soundly (dreaming about babysitting (?)) and blissfully unaware. Suddenly I hear my cell phone ring. I look at the clock, and it's only 5:30. This can only mean two things... there is a family emergency... or there is a work emergency.

I waited for the phone to stop ringing, and patiently listened for the sound of a new voicemail. I knew that if a voicemail wasn't left, it wasn't important enough (or was a wrong number), and I could go back to sleep.

But then I heard the voicemail tone. So I listened to the message. It was my boss, slightly frantic.
"Kelly, sorry to call at 0-dark-hundred hours, but we need a director. We're doing a liveshot this morning, and we need you to come in and direct. Call me."

I called, and he told me to get to the station ASAP.

I imagined driving up to the station and finding a general state of panic and alarm. Another school shooting? The president is dead? California detached from the rest of the states and floated out to sea? What could possibly warrent saturday morning live cut-ins?



But when I arrived, there was only one car. At first I thought this was a joke. Then I thought I had heard him wrong or, in a state of deliriousness, had totally made this whole thing up.

The Master Control Operator told me everything was fine, and that I was just the first one here.

When I offered up my possible suggestions of tragic events (I really like that California one), she laughed and told me it was just beacuse the water levels in the river were high.

.....

..... Well DUH. It's ONLY been raining for the past 2 weeks straight! Nearby towns and cities are only COMPLETELY underwater! This is BREAKING NEWS?!

Apparently others weren't impressed either, because an hour later, I'm still here by myself.

And my boss? The guy who made that first original frantic call? Yeah, he's not here either.

This makes my 13th hour of overtime this week.

Superstitious

I re-read my last post and realized how wussy I sounded for skipping my workout.

So I'm retracting my reason.

Instead, I didn't work out because it's not safe to workout on Friday the 13th.

I'm all about the safety.

Stupid Work

Mainly because work owns my life--and a little because I owed a favor to a coworker--I had to work until 1:30am this morning. Bleh. This has officially seemed like the longest week ever. And I still have 3 more days to go.

Due to these outstanding circumstances, I woke up late this morning generally tired and hating life. Thus, I'm taking the day off for training.

I've put a lot of thought into this B-Fit B-Day Challenge. I got one 'Yay' vote and one 'Nay' vote. They both had good points...


("Go for it!" is a valid argument, right?)

So I decided the last thing I needed to do was see if it's mathmatically feasible.

So here is the absolute maximum time each length would take me:
2 Mile Swim (56 laps in the Y pool): 90 minutes
3 Mile Run: 40 minutes (assuming a very slow 13 minute mile time)
23 Mile Bike: 150 minutes

TOTALLING: 280 minutes (a little under 5 hours)

Is it possible? Yes. I have two of those days off work, which leaves me a lot of spare time. It's also supposed to be in the 70's both days, which is perfect weather for being outside.

I'm not sure I've found a single (good) reason not to do it.... or at least try.

I begin sunday.

_____________________________________


On a totally different note, I'm thinking about volunteering for the HRMS Naperville Sprint Triathlon. It's a few weeks before my first triathlon, and it would do me some good to get out and be involved in one. I've never even been to a triathlon before, so learning the behind-the-scene ropes could only benefit me.

We'll see.

B-Fit B-Day Challenge

Extremely mild dilemma. I really want to do the B-Fit B-Day Challenge. First, what it is. Then, why this is a problem.

... What is it? (information stolen directly from the website)

The raceAthlete B-Fit B-Day Challenge is a celebration of your life, health, and fitness on your birthday (which is next week (yay! (!))).

In order to complete this challenge, you must...

Take your age and in any order:
1) Swim the number of miles in the first number
2) Run the number of miles in the second number
and 3) Bike the number of miles in the combined number.

In order to earn the following, you must...
Bronze: Do all three (swim/bike/run) during the week of your Birthday.
Silver: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in the three days before, after, or on your B-Day.
Gold: Do all three (swim/bike/run) in 24-hours to celebrate your B-Day!

The "Gold" option is impossible for me at the moment. Or at least near impossible. This means I would probably try for the Silver.

In a nutshell, I would need to:
Swim 2 Miles
Run 3 Miles
and Bike 23 Miles
(all in 3 days)

... So what's the problem?

Well, The Boy will be in town for an entire week over my birthday. He arrives 2 days before my birthday and leaves 5 days after. I will not have the time, nor the drive to complete this while he's here.

So I'm wondering if I should still do it. Maybe just do it the 3 days before he arrives? That would still put it within a week of my birthday.

So the two questions are...

1) Should I do it?

2) If I do it in 3 days (even though it's not exactly ON my birthday), will it still count as Silver? Or will I have to knock it down to Bronze?

Thoughts from the peanut gallery are appreciated. Just click 'Comments' right below this.

Muahahahaha

My boyfriend started his own blog today. He's not training for a triathlon-- I think he just wants to be more active.

I repeat... he's not training for a triathlon... yet.

I've noticed all of this is quite contageous. I bet by this time next year, he'll either be sucked it... or will have dumped me because I'm insane.

Either way. Go, Ryan!

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I ran a little this morning. If I havn't said it before, my running is truly pathetic. I was going to run to the Y and then use the treadmill, but somehow, on my way to the Y, I just kept going. This was perhaps a bad idea. I didn't realize how hot it was... or windy. Trusty weather.com told me it felt like 87 degrees. Add running head-on into 20 mph winds and it feels more like 95.

The sky grew darker and darker and I just BEGGED it to open up and pour on me. But instead I recieved an insulting 2 drops of rain.

I'm pretty convinced I'm the slowest runner on earth. I used to be pretty good. I can't remember my exact times or anything, but I was definitely in the top 15% of the runners on our massive high school cross country team. And now I can't seem to run 10 minutes without stopping.

I only ran for 20 minutes today. I stopped 3 times to catch my breath and pray for rain. Then I dragged my pathetic self home.

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It's funny how often I get asked about my training. I didn't realize people were so interested. I like to pretend that it's because they are so insanely impressed by what I'm doing.

I recieved the funniest text from my mom this afternoon.

"I am at park watching bikers do u need gloves these must be serious bikers"

I laughed and responded that no, I didn't need gloves. But I DO need a helmet. Yes, yes... SHAME on me for riding my bike without a helmet! But the last time I owned a helmet was elementary school. I'm working on it.

So now I feel all bad for setting a horrible example. So here is my very own PSA on why you should wear helmets....

You should wear a helmet because helmets prevent things like this...

Photo Courtesy the New York Times (what do you MEAN this isn't real?).

Also, if you're WEARING your bicycle helmet, then small animals can't be taking up residence in it...

And the final reason to wear a helmet... it makes your helmet happy...

So go be safe!!!

Brick #2

I woke up around 9:30 this morning. I can't remember the last time I was up that early. I figured I'd better take advantage... so I did another Brick.

I looked up the pool schedule at the Y to make sure there would be lanes open. It said swim practice ended at 10am, so I would be golden.

But I got there, and there was still practice. Which left only 2 lanes for laps. I had the choice between joining an older woman who was a pretty bad swimmer, or an even older man who was an even worse swimmer. Considering the man was a 'flailer', the woman seemed my best bet.

But apparently she's deaf. Because I tried THREE times to ask her if I could share a lane with her, and I never got so much as an acknowledgement. It was becoming embarrassing when I hear a man's voice say, "Not much luck, eh?" I turn and see 'flailer' in the next lane over. He says, "If you don't get a better offer, you're more than welcome in here." So I joined.

My swimming had to be strategic. The man was swimming freestyle in one direction and some crazy form of backstroke in the other. The freestyle was fine, but the backstroke could take an eye out.

Number of times I was smacked: 4

I gave up after only 7 laps. I quickly jumped out of the pool and headed to the locker room. I threw on a pair of shorts and pulled my socks and shoes over my wet feet. I grabbed my keys and my sunglasses and headed out. I then biked 7.3 soaking wet miles.

I really need to plan out this outfit situation a little better. I don't own a wetsuit and I'm not willing to buy one yet. I wore a sports bra under my bathingsuit (which earned me stares by the swim team moms at the pool). And by the end of my bike, my gray cotton shorts were soaked through. That was a bad idea.

Brick #1

It's 3 weeks into my training and I just completed my first brick... sort of.

I'm gonna start at the end and go backwards. My run was pathetic. 2 minutes in, I felt great. 4 minutes in, I felt exhausted. 6 minutes in, I was walking.

But it's the effort that counts, right? I mean... I may have only run for a total of 7 minutes, but it's those first 2 minutes that mean the most. Because for that one shining moment, I thought I was actually going to do this... for real.

All I need to do now is work on breaking through that wall and eliminate 'walking' from my mental rolodex of possibile solutions.

The bike went really well. I went in a different direction than normal, so it was refreshing. New forged territory is always exciting. Before I left my apartment, I mapped out my route. I wrote all the turns down on a peice of paper. Five seconds before walking out the door, I decide, Eh. I don't need it. I know where I'm going. But five minutes into the ride, I had gotten seriously turned around and had somehow ended up downtown.

About a quarter of the way through my ride, I went down a steep hill that led under a bridge. I saw another biking sitting on his bike at the bottom of the hill, but I thought maybe he was just taking a break. Right as I hit the bottom, he hollers, 'Watch Out!' moments too late as my bike tires start slipping and sliding in 5 inches of mud. My bike came to a hault which only meant I had to then put my FEET in the 5 inches of mud. Bleh. I'm not meant to be this dirty.

Halfway through my ride, near my turning-around point, I pass a park. Off in the distance, I see what appears to be a building with bathrooms and.... (angels sing) a water fountain.
When I make it to the fountain, I see a 'WARNING' sign above it. It said something along the lines of:

"WARNING: The water that comes from the fountain has extremely high levels of NITRATE. Infants under the age of 6 months should not drink from this fountain as it may cause serious illness. Boiling the water or mixing it with formula will not decrease the toxicity of the water."

TOXIC water? If infants under 6 months can't drink it, why should I be any different? But... after 5 miles biking, you'll drink almost anything. As soon as I got home and had internet access, I googled 'nitrate water.' The DNR had this lovely peice of information:

"Common sources of nitrate contamination include fertilizers, animal wastes, septic tanks, municipal sewage treatment systems, and decaying plant debris."

BLEHHHHHH. Now I am SERIOUSLY wishing I had passed. Dehydration might have been a more appropriate fate.

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So here is the breakdown...

Number of miles biked: 9
Number of miles run: .75
Number of other bikers I saw: 8
Number of times I got lost: 3
Number of times my bike tires flung mud in my face: 4
Number of BMX race tracks I happened across: 1
Number of times I had the urge to jump in there and give it a try: 0
Number of sips of toxic water I drank: 7 plus more rubbed on my face and arms
Number of times I wished I was laying by the pool instead: 100+
Number of dead bugs found down my shirt when I got home: 3

Tomorrow... it's only a day away!

I'm 50 minutes away from getting off work, and I couldn't be more excited to have tomorrow off.

It's my only day off this weekend ("weekend" (we crazy TV people with our crazy schedules)), so I'm going to make the most of it.

I think I want to do my first brick workout. It's supposed to be beautiful and sunny and warm tomorrow, so it's perfect. Plus, it's a Tuesday, so the pool at the Y should be empty.

I'm so enthusiastic and upbeat about this. I think I'll regret this decision tomorrow morning. Eek.

The Nicest Day

I had plans to go to the Y today to run and swim.

I stepped outside to head to my car. I noticed the wind whipping my hair around my face, the rain streaming down my arms, the parking lot-now-muddy puddle infested with broken tree limbs and trash. And I thought to myself, WOW! It's GORGEOUS! How could I possibly snub Mother Nature by spending my morning inside?! If you live in the midwest (or watch the news at all), you know what I'm talking about. It may not be 80 and sunny, but this is the best weather we've seen in days!



Plus, I've been missing my bike desperately. I try not to let it show, but she knows she's my favorite. I think when I was younger, I dubbed her the 'Purple People-Eater.' It still seems fitting.




She's purple and speckled and makes scary rusty cranking noises like she's about to eat the runners in front of me.


I've seen small children cry.


Anyway, so I biked down along the river totalling about 7 miles.


On a semi-related note, here is the moment where I divulge something about myself that most people don't know...


... Geese scare the CRAP outta me.



Especially this time of year. During nesting season, they're all too busy with their eggs to care what I'm doing. But now all the eggs have hatched into fuzzy adorable (yes, I like geese when they're tiny) baby geese. And these baby geese tend to wander wherever they please. And if they, say, wander in front of my Purple Geese Eater, their parents are NOT happy. Cut to hissing geese chasing me on my bike and snapping at my feet. End Scene.


Not fun. So when I see a flock of geese in my way, I tend to either go around them (WAAAY around them), or stop and wait. Sometimes, if no one is around, I make what I deem 'scary noises' to scare them away. But sometimes I think it just intrigues them more.


Towards the end of my biking, I passed 4 kids on bikes. They looked about 15. I thought it was odd that (considering their age), the oldest-looking boy had one of those yellow child-pulling mechanisms attached to his bike.


But when I passed them and glanced inside the mesh cage, to my SHOCK and HORROR, I saw an infant in one of those infant-carrying things (thank GOODNESS for photos, cause I apparently suck with names).

... Did I mention it had a LIVING baby inside it?!

Now... on further thought, I guess this doesn't seem that horrible. I mean, at least the baby wasn't just thrown in there to fend for itself. But something just seems so wrong about this whole situation.

I have gone so far off into a tangent that there is no feasible way to bring it back without a line.
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Much better.

I thought about turning my biking into a brick workout. I have yet to bike and then run immediately after. It scares me quite a bit. But of course another excuse got in the way... time. And work. I need to shower this mud off my arms and legs and go do what I was put on this Earth to do... direct the news.

I'm in Deep.

Well, to explain how I got here, I need to explain where I started... which was more recently than it seems.

Our city held a marathon about a month back. What's funny is I wasn't even awake for it. I think I slept until 1pm that day. But, when you work at a news station, these things tend to come up. One of our reporters even ran with a relay team.

So it got me to thinking. I've always had it in the back of my head that I wanted to run a marathon some day. But I always thought of it in a 'distant future' sort of way. Plus, ever since high school track, my knees and hips occasionally act like they belong to an 80 year old woman who is just 2 minutes away from her next hip fracture. So a marathon seemed far-fetched.

Somehow, the next logical step in my mind was to try a triathlon instead. There seemed no better time than the present. I am close to my heaviest weight ever, needed some motivation to get to the gym everyday, and was becoming generally bored with how I was spending my time here. Plus, I already had a decent base in biking, and as a child, I was on the swim team, so I figured-- no problem!

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It started out innocently enough. I went online for some advice as to what sort of training I should do. I learned a lot right away...

-There are different lengths for triathlons... AKA tiring; daunting; impossible; kill me now
-I would need to do brick training. (I had to google that seperately to figure it out.)
-My equipment sucks.
-Triathletes are really hardcore about their sport.
-Far more people complete the Ironman than I was aware. I always pictured that televised one in Hawaii... I thought that was the only one.

So the training began.

My biking wasn't bad, my swimming was mediocre at best, but my running was atrocious. I couldn't even jog for 5 minutes without stopping to hack up a lung. I thought to myself, But I did Cross Country! For 5 years! Apparently that doesn't guarantee anything.

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Just last week, while exploring the internet for any sign to tell me I wasn't going to absolutely die doing this, I stumbled across a blog written by a beginner triathlete. That blog led me to another blog... which led me to another... and another... and a world of blogging triathletes unfolded before me. A little weird, I thought, but inspirational nonetheless.

I loved reading their first few entries when they were just beginning. To see that mere years later, many of them had completed Ironman races was baffling.

Seeing all of their trials and pains and distances laid out on the screen made me feel like a wuss (especially because my first triathlon will be a super sprint!). But it was the first time I thought that there might be more after this. There might be a future in this. I'm HOPING to get hooked. I want to look back a year from now a laugh at myself. Stupid, silly, pudgy Kelly... so naive.

[PS: The past few days, I've been unhealthly obsessed with Steve in a Speedo. Extremely entertaining to read... not to mention that he's a Simpsons fan ("feels like I'm wearing nothin at all!"). Just one of the many blogs that inspired me to start my own. So, thanks!]