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January 5, 2008
Recipe for Disasterously Dry Skin
Ingredients:
1) chlorine
2) cold temperatures
3) wind
Instructions:
Go to swimming pool in morning and swim in pool for a long time ensuring much chlorine is absorbed into skin. Come home and immediately go for cold, windy 3 hour ride outside. Simple as that - your face will be ready to fall off and NO amount of lotion will do! :)
I am still very glad I went outside for my ride today. It wasn't that cold, maybe in the low 30s but I'll tell you that wind was relentless. I started off for the first hour on the flats but literally INTO the wind for the entire first 60 minutes. I think I shed a tear or two at first - I was COLD! Once I turned into the hills, the wind relented, but then...well...I was riding up and down really big hills for the next 2 hours. :) And I'll tell you it kicked my butt. Not sure if it was the weather, the hills or just the fact that I haven't ridden for 3 hours for a while (likely a combo of all 3) but I was one hurtin' puppy those last few miles!
But I fully plan (weather permitting) to ride in those same hills week after week after week for many weeks to come. Time to get strong and time to get hardened. Don't get me wrong, I'm not riding hard or fast, because this is base building, aerobic training time. But I am going to challenge myself more than I did last winter with riding in some nasty weather and riding on some nasty hills. It's just what I need to do.
In other news O and I stopped at the bike shop to take my sick wheel to get fixed. Looks like the warranty should cover it. Thank goodness. Of course while I was there the gift certificate I got for Christmas for the shop was burning a hole in my pocket and I couldn't help but try on a pair of shoes. You see, I HATE my current pair of cycling shoes. They just don't fit well on my narrow foot and I have to tighten them way too much and then the big nasty velcro strap on them straps to the INSIDE and hits on my crank EVERY time I push down on my pedals. Hate them, hate them, hate them! So even though they are only 2 years old, I'm ready to upgrade.
And upgrade I did!
After much research I decided I wanted these. My main problem when I bought a lot of my orginial tri gear is that I had absolutely no idea what I wanted or liked or what was good or not so good. Now after being in the game for 2 seasons, I'm starting to get a better idea. These shoes are the bomb because they are women's specific and fit WAY better - as in like a glove. And the strap on the bottom opens to the outside. So they ordered me up a pair size 38.5! :) I cannot wait to get them!! I also have my eye on some pedals (two bikes and only one set of pedals - you can understand my frustration) and of course race wheels. Oh wait - money DOESN'T grow on trees?!?! Oh...I guess those items might have to wait a little then... :)
After all that excitement O and I went to his team's first indoor meet of the season. I haven't been to a high school indoor meet for a long time. Well, actually I was in college and they had the state indoor meet at Penn State and O worked the meet so I went to watch. (actually - I think I worked the meet too). It was at that meet that I watched my state record in the 3K be absolultely destroyed. Hmm...weak record I guess? :) Regardless, the meet tonight was at Pitt.
When we got there I was absolutely overwhelmed. High schoolers EVERY where! And it had to have been a rather small meet in the grand scheme of things because it's the first weekend back to school from the holiday break. Regardless, while O was off doing this coaching thing I had fun watching the full gamut of high schoolers compete. You had the really fast ones and the really slow ones and just about every speed in between. There were the goofy ones and the serious ones and I'm not kidding when I say every single kid had a (1) cell phone and (2) iPod of some variety! I do have to admit that after a while I got quite bored and read the majority of my latest edition of Triathlete Magazine, but overall it was a fun night.
And now I must go watch the Steelers because there seems to be a chance that they MIGHT win! Good night all!
Posted by beth at January 5, 2008 10:03 PM
Comments
Good choice on the shoes! I'm on my second pair of the Sidi Carbons and absolutely love them! Also great work on the 3 hour ride. I went out this morning for 3 hours too, and it wasn't very much fun. Hope your training today went well.
Posted by: Chad at January 6, 2008 6:30 PM
Love the Sidi shoes! I've had my pair for 3 seasons now... the best EVER. Had to laugh AND groan about your skin - mine is the same way. Chlorine and long time outside = disaster. I enjoyed reading your part about the HS track meet. Brings back memories of my own... I was never fast enough to set a record (awesome that you did that!!!) - I was the back-of-the-packer 3200 meter runner who also threw the shot put. Go figure. Hope that you had a great weekend!
Posted by: marit c-l at January 6, 2008 6:58 PM