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September 30, 2008

Trendy Casual Continued

Huge thanks to everyone who helped enlighten me as to what trendy casual consists of. Seriously guys - you are the best! And of course I loved your answers because just about everyone okayed the jeans. Hey, if Craig Alexander can wear jeans to dinner, I surely can too!

The problem is, I'm not sure I own the trendy, designer jeans everyone seems to be talking about. I came home from work today and sifted through my collection. Nope. None of those will do! So I decided on a skirt instead. Yes - a skirt! I own about 3 of them. And before you start wondering, remember, I work in a hospital. Where I wear scrubs every day. And running shoes. Then, I come home and put on running shorts or cycling shorts or a swim suit. Oh, and did I mention I wear shorts and jeans to church? You just can't take me anywhere...

Anyway, the problem with the skirt was footwear. I do have several pairs of nice shoes but they are all uncomfortable and lets just say won't be worn before a race. What can I say - my feet are spoiled. (but surprisingly still quite cranky - I don't think they know how good they have it!) So sandels are the obvious answer. And sandels now appear to be safe. If anyone asks, the sandels are the "casual" portion of my "trendy casual". I hope my mom isn't reading this.

Regardless, I have to admit that Courtenay hit the nail on the head when she warned (in caps no less) "NO HRM WATCH." Good call on that one Courtenay. I surely would have shown up in it!

So that's where we stand on the trendy casual. I'm sure you are all quite relieved that that's been settled. :)

In other news, our dog is in the bathtub. She is so weird. It's a little windy outside and raining lightly. Any time a storm seems even remotely possible, she heads directly for cover in the bathroom. Usually in the tub but sometimes behind the toilet. I've stopped trying to get her out.

As for training, yesterday I hit up the track for a light workout and today I swam (in the am) and did some short intervals on the bike in the pm. Tomorrow is a day off!

Good night everyone!

Posted by beth at 9:12 PM | Comments (5)

September 29, 2008

Trendy Casual

I have to say, I am really excited to be going to Dallas and the US Open. Obviously because I can't wait to race against some of the best amateurs in the country! But also because I think this is going to be a great weekend.

Life Time Fitness is quite impressive and is treating us amateurs like royalty. The hotel we are in is simply amazing. It has a 25 meter pool in it. INSIDE the hotel! Let's just say, I have never stayed in a place this nice and it's likely I never will again. O and I usually go for those $70/night hotels where cleaning is optional. :)

Anyway, on the Friday night before the race there is a dinner at the hotel of which I am REALLY excited for. Mostly because this might prove to be my one chance to tell Greg Bennett of my undying admiration for him. (just kidding of course, but if I am able to get a picture without appearing too stalker-like I may just go for it! :) Anyway, today, an invitation for this dinner arrived in my inbox detailing when and where AND...expected attire. Uh-oh. I knew there had to be a catch.

We were directed to wear "trendy casual".

Please will someone tell me what that means?!

Instantly I quizzed my co-workers who are all much more fashionable than I am. They did look a tad bit stumped however they also instantly started blurting out things I was NOT allowed to wear as based on my preferences.

"That means no flip flops Beth". "And no shorts!" "Don't even bring jeans with you." Dear Lord - what's left?!

I assume if I'm not allowed to wear shorts that includes yoga pants too? And t-shirts are probably out also.

I emailed my mom (who will be accompanying me) for help.

Bad choice.

I should have known she would order VERY nice clothing because she always dresses nice and looks nice and I'm not even sure she owns jeans. (don't ask because I really don't know what happened to me - my sister must have gotten all the stylish genes)

And so I have myself a dilemma. What to wear? Since you all know how much I like to pack you can only guess how this adds to it!

But the biggest problem of all might be not WHAT to wear to dinner but HOW to keep these nice dinner clothes from smelling like my cycling shoes after cuddling with them in my suitcase for hours on end.

Now even I know that the only thing more offensive than improper attire is STINKY improper attire!

Posted by beth at 9:06 PM | Comments (9)

September 28, 2008

Holy Crap!

Nice title I know. But that's all I could think of when I found O after his 10K race this morning and he told me his time. I won't steal his thunder, as I'm sure he'll write about it on his blog. But suffice it to say, I had best get moving if I want to have ANY hope of regaining the household 10K PR. And now apparently the 5K PR if you count his 5K split from the race today.

The race is point to point so I didn't see the start - was only waiting down at the finish and I positioned myself about 200 yds from the finish line so I couldn't see the clock. I had no idea what kind of time he was running but I knew it was fast because there had been no women in front of him. And the winning women's time is usually AT LEAST 36 minutes at this race, if not faster. And then the look on his face! Such torture! He was definitely giving it everything he had.

So imagine my delight when he revealed that he was over 2 minutes faster than last year and had crushed his goal of running under 37. Try 35:07 on for style. 35:07!!! (okay, I just had to do it - sorry to steal your thunder O!).

I was/am so happy for him. O doesn't think he's a "good" runner but anyone who can run 35:07 is a good runner in my book. And don't let him tell you it was just because it was on a "downhill" course. Yes, the Great Race has a net loss in elevation but it's not an easy course and I think most anyone who has run it will tell you so!

Did I mention that he went through the 5K in 17:17? (now I'm really stealing his thunder)

I might have to take a few years off triathlon if I hope to keep up with him. Or, I could just get my rear in motion and start running fast in tris!

Either way, it was a fun morning. I did my long run and then headed down to watch the finish and then after the race O and I and some of his co-workers who also did the race got a bite to eat in the South Side. And then we came home for a nap. This might be the perfect Sunday! :) Made more perfect by the fact that O had such a wonderful race. Always great to see someone's hard work pay off you know?

Have a great start to the week everyone!

Posted by beth at 5:15 PM | Comments (3)

September 27, 2008

Feeling Good

As I was sitting in my ice bath after training today, I was thinking to myself that I have no excuse for not racing well in Dallas next weekend! I've been feeling good in training. I've been swimming faster than I ever have. I have been running faster than I ever have as a triathlete (must put that qualifier in there since I came from running). And cycling is dandy as usual! I'm healthy! Amazing! And of course I'm extremely excited to be racing. All these stars do not usually align at once like this. So no excuses. I will be telling myself next weekend - make the most of this awesome opportunity you've been given!

I cannot wait! I was trying not to think of my race on my ride this morning because just thinking about it gets my heart rate up and then I have to slow down to stay in my zones! :) But I had some great training today. 3:30 brick and a great swim. I just can't even explain my swimming right now. Something must have clicked with my stroke because swimming faster just feels so much easier! Now, the trick is, I need to translate that to racing well because we all know that's a whole different ballgame. If only the race could be in my own little home YMCA - I just always swim so well there. :)

So the preparations begin. O can't come to Dallas so there will be many maps and many directions. Thankfully my mom is going with me. She is such a brave person. She went with me to Germany last year too and even still she signed up to go to Dallas! :) And although O's shoes are incredibly big to fill when it comes to equipment managing she can definitely give him a run for his money!

Now...off to figure out how this whole 2 transition areas thing work. Let's hope I can figure out which one to put my bike in and which one to put my running shoes in. :)

Posted by beth at 8:42 PM | Comments (7)

September 25, 2008

Why Not?

One of my favorite questions to ask myself. Elizabeth wrote about it yesterday (as eloquently as ever) and it's a question I also ask myself ALL THE TIME. Sometimes I have a legitimate answer. But most of the time I don't have any good excuse.

So when we were doing 50s this morning at masters practice and I had the option of doing them on 35 or 40. I asked myself - why not at least give the 35s a shot? Why not? Because you don't know how to do flip turns? Because you aren't a "real" swimmer? This is usually when I tell myself to get over myself. To just get over "it".

In case you are wondering, I talk to myself a lot. As in all the time. Not aloud, but inside my head. There is constant chatter during hard workouts and races within the confines of my skull. A lot of the time I just repeat things over and over again - "you can do this, you can do this, you CAN do this, you CAN do this." Over and over and over and over. It works. Usually. :)

Anyway, the workout this morning at masters was deceptively hard. 6x(6x50) with a FAST interval and a moderate interval. So, since I decided I would try the 35s the workout went (1x50 on 35, 5x50 on 50), (2x50 on 35, 4x50 on 50), (3x50 on 35, 3x50 on 50), (4x50 on 35, 2x50 on 50), (5x50 on 35, 1x50 on 50) and (6x50 on 35).

Well of course it starts off easy. Not that doing 50s on 35 is easy at all for me but when you are only doing one or two or even three in a row, it's not too bad. Plus the early sets had enough moderate 50s that you got plenty of rest. But then all of a sudden it wasn't so easy. In fact within the blink of an eye it got really hard. Evil hard!

So again, like Monday, I'd like to say I made all those 50s on 35 in the last 3 sets. But I didn't! Close, but no cigar. But I gave it my all and am that much closer to getting it next time.

Yesterday I had three great workouts. Mostly because of the weather. And I know you have GOT to be sick of hearing me yammer on about how nice our weather is. But I do this now so someone can remind me in a couple months when it's snowing and cold and I haven't riden my bike outside for weeks, that I did indeed have it REALLY good in the fall. Just like someone has to remind me that I HAVE to learn how to do flip turns this winter. :)

Anyway, the workouts yesterday were 9 miles of running, 4 of which were very hard intervals on the track. Geez is that track running difficult! Of course I should know this from years of doing it but I guess it still surprises me sometimes. :) Then a short, easy swim right after. Then, in the afternoon/early evening, a beautiful 2 hour ride in 75 degrees and sun. It simply doesn't get better than that!

Finally, I leave you with a quote from an article I was reading about Constantina Tomescu-Dita, the gold medal winner in the women's marathon in Bejing. Her coach is talking when he says:

“You want my advice, for the athlete and the coach?” he said. “Don’t care as much about your training as you care about your recovery. Why is that? Because if your recovery is good, then your training will be good. Always.”

I love it.

Posted by beth at 7:41 PM | Comments (7)

September 23, 2008

Just Keep On Keepin' On

Today I had a very nice day. Day off work which is no doubt the reason why my day was so good! Got up, did a bike workout, went for a run, went to a health fair (where I got many free things such as pens, notepads and chip clips), did core exercises, did laundry, did some other odds and ends that needed done and in general took my time and relaxed. That's the best thing about days off. They are often just as busy as if I went to work that day but instead of rushing and trying to do everything at warp speed, I have the time to slow down a little and THINK. Very nice.

Anyway, my bike workout was very good. I thought I might die I was pushing the pedals so hard but of course that's just a temporary feeling. :) And my run was even better! The weather is just so nice and perfect for running right now. Thank you God!

When I got the mail I was very excited to see that Netflix delivered the first DVD of the most recent Grey's Anatomy season. YIPPPPEEE!! I am such a Grey's Anatomy junkie. It's just not even funny. But anyway, I'm all caught up on the first 3 seasons and now the fourth season is available. I waited all summer for it! I have to be careful to slowly savor and not watch it all at once!

And finally I'm happy to report that it's pizza night at the Shutt house. If there is something I like more than Grey's Anatomy it's pizza night! I LOVE PIZZA! And I never get sick of it. I could consist soley on pizza and cereal. Of course I couldn't for real, because that would be really unhealthy. But if we are just going on taste alone - cereal and pizza are my picks!

Good night all!

Posted by beth at 5:51 PM | Comments (1)

September 22, 2008

More Masters

I can't get enough of masters swim. It is seriously the best! I suppose part of the reason I feel this way is because I do the majority of my training by myself. So when I get around other people working hard and encouraging each other it's such an awesome treat!

This morning I walked into the pool and a wide grin spread across my face.

Long. Course. Meters!

I LOVE it when the pool is set up this way. We didn't get to swim long course all summer because the main pool was under construction and we were in the warmup pool. But LCM is back and I was pumped!

Since it was our first time back with the 50 meter setup Coach Jen took it easy on us. No 600 meter repeats, instead, 12x200.

Which, don't get me wrong, were hard enough.

I'm sticking with my promise to myself to swim in a lane up with the fast guys, but I have to admit, today had me a little worried.

The 12x200 were alternating 2x200 on a moderate interval, 2x200 on a faster interval, 2x200 moderate, 2x200 even faster, etc... The moderate interval was 3:20, which still takes me a while to think about. 3:20 doesn't sound bad! But LCM is, of course, a different ballgame. The faster intervals were 3:10 then 3:00 and then 2:50. Yep, that's right, 2:50. That's roughly like swimming 200s on 2:30 in SCY I think! It was only about 2 weeks ago that I could swim A 2:30 let alone swim a few in a row! But I was determined to give it a try.

Luckily I had some fast guys to swim off of! The first ten 200s went by very quickly and before I knew it we were on the 2x200 on 2:50.

I'd like to report that I nailed them but the truth is, I did more like 2x200 on 2:55. :) Oh well. Next time right?! :)

Still a great workout and I was very happy to have at least given it a shot. Small baby steps. Small baby steps.

So that was my morning. Then I went to work. Then I went to lift. Then I came home and ate dinner. My life is way to exciting for you all I know! The good news is, O's favorite tv show in the whole entire world, The Big Bang Theory, was on tonight. Now he's running around the house quoting his favorite character Sheldon. And I thought all the weird ones hung out at the YMCA... :)

Good night everyone!

Posted by beth at 9:13 PM | Comments (3)

September 21, 2008

A Theory

I submit to you a theory - some how, some way, Sunday only has 20 hours in it. Or maybe only 18. 16 perhaps? I won't believe it has 24 like the rest of the days. It just always goes wayyyyy to fast for that!

But I can't complain as we've had a great weekend. Today we did a long run in the cool, crisp morning. And this evening I rode my bike in the setting sun. Plus O and I met for dinner (I rode there and he drove and we went back together) which allowed me to ride mostly downhill without having to turn around and ride back UP the hills towards home. Doesn't get much better than that! :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful start to their weeks and huge congrats to all those awesome racers at AG Nationals! Wow is all I have to say!

Posted by beth at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2008

What Did I Do?

Well, I've officially signed up for the 2009 California 70.3. Which now seems wrong on so many levels:

1) I nearly threw up when I saw how expensive it was to sign up for one race! All I can say is, around Christmas time I will be begging for 2 plane tickets to California from Santa. Either that or O, Scotty and I will be hitchhiking to Oceanside!

2) Doing the math, I realized that I will need to start training soon for this 70.3. Trouble is, my 2008 season isn't over yet! Who signs up for races in EARLY April when they live in Pittsburgh and don't ride their bike outside until early May?

3) I hear the course at Oceanside is a bit tough. Including a brutal swim. And we all know that swimming is my strong suit right? :)

Jen Harrison - I think I blame you for this!

Ahh...just kidding on all accounts! I am really, really, really excited for this! First of all, O and I have never been to California and although O doesn't seem particularly thrilled with the whole idea, I think it will be an awesome experience and chance to explore part of the country that we've never seen! Oh the places triathlon will take you!

Second, signing up for this race is part of my "figure out the 70.3 distance or bust" project for next year. If left to my own devices I would probably just sign up for a sprint triathlon every weekend of the year - but there is also part of me that wants to challenge myself to grow and get the hang of the longer stuff.

Third, although the race is quite early and will likely require many a long ride on my trainer, it will also be great motivation to work hard throughout the winter and get me nice and strong for a summer of racing Olympics.

So, California in April it is! Chad - you in? :)

Anyway - enough about next season - how about the current one?! Today I had some great workouts, at least in part due to the fact that our weather has been simply amazing! I had a great long ride this morning - one of those days where the pedals just seem to turn themselves over without much help from me! And only one person yelled something mean out their window at me. That has to be a record of some sort!

Off the bike I ran and then O and I went to the pool for a swim.

Now O is at a Pirates game (with his fellow coaches - no wives invited!) and I am at home searching for AG National results and signing up for races for 2009! HA - that will teach O to leave me at home alone with the internet and a credit card! :)

Regardless - hope everyone has a wonderful rest of their weekend

Posted by beth at 6:23 PM | Comments (10)

September 18, 2008

Simply Marvelous

I think I've written about "Simply Marvelous" before. It's a phrase one of the PSTs (I don't know what that stands for but essentially PSTs are nurse's aids) where I work used all the time. She was one of the most positive, upbeat people I have ever known, even in the face of a lot of heartbreak and a rather tough life. First of all, she was a PST for goodness sakes! If you ask me, that's the worst job around. Hard work and not a lot of "thanks". But every time you asked her how she was doing, no matter what was going on, she always answered "simply marvelous". I love it! She has since retired but I still think of her a lot and today, I can't get the simply marvelous out of my mind!

Because today really is simply marvelous! It's absolutely beautiful outside, sunny and in the high 60s, low 70s. The leaves are ever so slighly starting to turn. And although it's still pretty warm, you can feel fall on the way. When I was riding this morning I couldn't help but smile and think how simply marvelous life really is. Fall will always be my favorite.

In other news, I went to masters practice this morning and set a new 100 yd PR! Yes, a huge 1 second improvement from my last PR, I can now swim a 1:06. :) The next barrier I aim to bust through is the 1:05 wall, but that might take me another 2 years or so... :) Anyway, practice was good! 25s, 50s, 75s, and 100s. Still swimming with the big boys and while I really can't swim with them per se (why is it that I am ALWAYS the last one to the wall? :) I am proud to admit that I can kick with the best of them. I have no idea why I am such a good kicker but that's where I shine! Now if only swim races were all kick... Might make the cycling and running tougher but boy would I do better in the water! :)

And in still other news, I got a new job! Unfortunately this is not a job to replace my old job, but rather in addition to my current position. I keep asking O if I can quit my job and be a stay at home triathlete but instead of getting rid of jobs I somehow added another. What is up with that? Regardless, I am currently working 20 hours/week at my old job and I do really like it and I don't want to quit it for real. It's challenging yet safe and I know what I'm doing there. This new job will just be an additional 5 hrs/week but it's right up the road from where we live (5 minute drive! vs the 45-60 min to my other job) and it pays more! Plus, it's one of those really flexible deals where if I can't seem to fit it into my schedule for a month or two at a time, that's okay. Now THAT'S my kind of job. :) Anyway, it's still dealing with nutrition and you still have to be a registered dietitian but it is TOTALLY different than what I do now. I'm excited for the new challenge that it will bring and to see what it turns into. Definite potential there. And if I don't like it, that's okay too. Either way, I can't do the training until the middle of October so I won't start for a while, but I am looking forward to it!

I hope you all have a simply marvelous day!

Posted by beth at 2:20 PM | Comments (4)

September 17, 2008

Odds and Ends

This morning I had a track workout. And because I'm afraid of the type of heckling that Danielle experienced while she was at the track the other day, I made sure to get up early enough so as to have the workout done before school was in session. Something about high school kids scares me greatly. Not sure why. I guess it's because they seem so...unpredictable. :)

Anyway, the workout went well. It was chilly! In the 40s which, for some reason, felt quite cold. Especially once I was back home sitting around in my sweaty clothes! The intervals were a mix of 800s, 1600s and 200s. And as always I was pushing it hard and hurting! The 200s are the hardest! Wait, who am I kidding, the 1600s are the hardest. :)

I returned home after the workout for breakfast and some odds and ends (while said breakfast digested) before I headed to the pool. When I got to the pool there was a swim class going on but all the lap lanes were empty. My choice of lanes! :) I settled on the end lane and got started on my warmup when, about 10 minutes in, a rather large group of people entered the pool. I moved my stuff over figuring I would soon be sharing a lane when out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of "that" guy. The "Since When Did Your Beak Get So Sharp" guy!

And of course he picked my lane to share.

He really is quite nice, but just so darn weird! At one point during my workout I heard him barking. Really? I sort of felt bad after a while figuring that maybe he has something like Tourette's and I shouldn't be so judgemental. Oh well. I did stop long enough after my warmup for him to start talking to me during which a large line of questioning regarding NYC ensued. It took me a while to figure out why he was talking to me about NYC. My swim cap was from the NYC tri. Oh.

Anyway, once I started the main set of my workout I was swimming on a pretty tight interval so there was no time for chit chat. I should mention that the Beak Guy doesn't actually swim, he mostly just stands at the end of the pool on the wall and occasionally will use the kickboard to go out about 10 yds before returning to the wall.

Never a dull moment at the YMCA!

The rest of my day has been spent doing laundry, ironing, an eye appointment, Sam's Club (where I discovered my new favorite snack - chocolate covered raisins mixed with almonds!), and many other odds and ends.

Tomorrow - back to masters swim! Yipppeeee!

Good night everyone!

Posted by beth at 6:40 PM | Comments (5)

September 16, 2008

SheROX Race Report

Race morning was early as always. It's a good thing I'm a morning person. Otherwise this triathlon thing wouldn't be too fun. :)

We got to the race site, parked and walked all my stuff down to transition. I got set up, body marked and retrieved my chip.

The race site had all kinds of cool signs. SheSwims signs near the swim entrance, SheRides signs, etc... I couldn't get enough of them! :)

I did my usual warmup jog and stretched some and then came the waiting game. I really wanted to get in the water for a nice swim warmup but it was still so dark! O and I walked down to the swim start and waited for a bit. Too dark. Waited some more. Still too dark. Waited even longer. And then some brave souls got in. Okay - here we go!

I got a nice warmup swim in. And the water felt great! So nice and warm. Until about 300 yds into the race when it felt like I was swimming in a sauna. And this was without a wetsuit! I now understand why they have rules about wetsuits and water temperature! :)

Anyway, the time finally came when my little wave of 6 lined up and got ready to go.

And then off we went!

Because I was racing not close to home I didn't know anyone nor their swimming ability. Except for Laurie. I knew Laurie is a fish! And so I made a pact with myself, STAY with her as long as possible. Just swim hard. Just put your head down and swim!

Now it's really nice to start in such a small wave when the gun goes off. No hitting or dunking or getting kicked in the face. No fear of losing your goggles. But once things spread out? Yeah, that's when you start to wish you were swimming with another hundred people or so! :)

I lost Laurie and Melissa, the girl that was swimming on Laurie's feet around 300 or 400 yds in. That didn't last too long! I tried desperately to stay on their feet (heck, I was just happy to be swimming on feet!) but they were pulling away.

Still though, I never gave up! I swam so hard and this, by far, was the highlight of the race. I've never swam that well in a race, ever. Not even close. It helps that it was only 750 yds (easier to focus on a shorter distance) and that the lake was calm and it was easy to site. But still - I was swimming hard and fast in a race and not too far behind the real swimmers!

And oh was I hurting. Holy cow! When I did finally reach shore I was breathing so hard I could barely get out of the water! But I actually got out 3rd behind Laurie and Melissa. Swam the last 400-500 yds by myself but I made it!

After the race I asked O how I looked swimming and he admitted that he actually missed me! He was focusing in on and watching the 5th and 6th place gals (that were swimming together) as he figured one of them was me. HA! ;) And he also said he's never seen me breathing so hard out of the water. I'm pretty sure that's because I never swim hard enough. I'm finally getting it. Although I don't know if I like the answer to my swimming problems...swim harder? Oh... :)

Anyway, enough about the water! Onto the bike and I was off! Laurie and Melissa had gained 40 seconds on me in the water once it was all said and done so I had some making up to do. I could see them for about 3-4 miles until I finally caught them. I was riding as hard as I could. No sense in holding anything back in a sprint right?

Once I was in the lead it was quite a novel concept. Nobody to chase? Not even any men? This has never happened before! And I can see how easy it could be to lose focus if in this situation often! I really feed off of my competitiveness in races, always looking to pass the next person so when there aren't any people to focus on, what then? Oh, and where do you turn if you can't just follow the person in front of you? ;)

Luckily the course was marked exceptionally well and there were policemen at each turn and intersection. And I just made sure to keep pushing and keep trying to catch the pace car. As judging by my HR and how hard I was breathing, I think I did okay. ;)

Off the bike and onto the run! There were a lot of people around the transition area and the emcee got everyone all pumped up as I ran through so of course I took of sprinting like I was running a 400 yd dash! OUCH!

Originally I had hoped to get a pretty fast run in in hopes of giving myself some confidence before Dallas and Tempe. But when I saw the course on Saturday I knew that probably wasn't going to happen. The course was off road and really pretty rough. Nicely groomed, hard packed dirt trails are one thing, but rocky, sandy, muddy, hilly trails are quite another. This course has much more of the later! So it was slow going. But the effort was there no doubt. Again, I was breathing so loud! Even O commented on my heavy breathing. Hey, what can I say - I was really pushing hard! The mountain biker that was leading me around the course was probably thinking I was having a stroke/heart attack back there! (I also think that when it's hot and humid you breathe harder)

So of course the 5K was over before I knew it and I was sprinting down the chute!

Huge smile because it's not too often that I win! :)

And - instead of a medal, we got jewlery (bracelets). I'm not a huge jewlery wearer but I really liked the bracelets and put them on right away.

Then I took my nasty, dripping wet self over to the massage table. Those poor people actually had to touch me!

After some cooling down and chatting with all the great women competing, the awards.

And surprise! There was prize money! I asked O if I could quit my job. He replied that since the prize money didn't even cover the expense of the trip down there, probably not. :) Still, better than nothing! :)

All and all, a truly great experience. O and I really had a great weekend. And the race itself was first class. The group that puts on the SheROX races also puts on the Philly Triathlon so these guys know what they are doing! And SetUpEvents does the set up. Anybody ever having done one of their races knows how great a job they do!

I didn't really know what to expect from an all women's race but it was pretty awesome and if you ladies ever get a chance to do one, I highly recommend it. There were so many awesome women out there, many doing their first triathlon. And it was awesome to see! It was also great to see all the dads pushing the strollers and holding the transition bags instead of vice versa! Quite a sight to see in a sport that is dominated by men. (if you look closely, most races are 2/3rds men and 1/3 women)

I personally have never in my life felt like I couldn't do something because I am a woman. I don't know if that's a product of the era in which I grew up or because my parents have always told me that I could do absolutely anything I wanted to do as long as I was willing to work for it. Either way, I realized that not every women grew up feeling that way and this race was an opportunity for them to shine. And to do something they might not have done otherwise. That's a powerful thing to witness. And very, very inspiring.

So that was my SheROX Charlotte experience! I will do another one next year for sure - hopefully Philly since it's closer, but Charlotte was really nice too!

As the saying goes -

She Swims.
She Rides.
She Runs.
SheROX!

Posted by beth at 7:13 PM | Comments (14)

September 15, 2008

SheROX Indeed!

Just a quick report! After a longgggggg drive back yesterday (whose idea was it to race in NC anyway?) we arrived home around 9:30 pm (this, after leaving NC around noon!). And then we realized...we had no electricity! It had been incredibly windy the entire drive home and pretty much our whole little town had lost it's power.

So what did I do? Took my ice bath by candle light of course! And then I showered and stretched and then...went to bed. No electricity means no internet. Major bummer. :)

When O got up this morning for work, still no power. Many of the schools in the area were either delayed or cancelled but his school district hadn't been yet. So he too got ready by candle light (actually more like battery power) and just as he was getting ready to leave...our power returned. Yippppeeee!! Still no internet because once our modem gets messed up, it refuses to work for a long time. But after a call to Verizon and some modem manipulations I am back in action!

And really sore too!

Those sprint races really hurt!

Nevertheless, we had a blast in NC! The SheROX race was so much fun and exactly what I was hoping to achieve - a low pressure but very good, hard effort before my last two races of the season. And I got in a little hot/humid racing practice while I was at it! Full race report to follow of course. But thanks to everyone for their good luck wishes and encouragement! You guys ROX! :)

And now I am off to the swimming pool. But don't tell my lats. They are already in major revolt!

Posted by beth at 10:52 AM | Comments (7)

September 13, 2008

Race Ready

Well, the bike is ready, the transition bag is packed, the alarm is set (for an all too early hour) and I am rearing to go! Ready to race!

The trip down to Charlotte last night went smoothly. Except for a little missed exit (while we were still in PA of all places), we had no directional issues. And although the drive was pretty long (7+ hours) the time seemed to go quickly. This is amazing for me because usually my time limit in the car is about 4 hours before I start climbing out the windows. We passed the time talking and playing games though. One game we played was the "guess who they will vote for" game. O and I would name someone we both knew and tried to guess, as based on what we knew about that person, who they would vote for in the presidential election in November. Doesn't sound like much fun but it was hilarious! We talked about family and friends and then of course other bloggers! Some people are pretty easy to guess at while others were quite tough. We wondered if it would be easy to tell from our blogs, who O and I will be voting for. :)

Anyway, we finally arrived and pretty much went to bed. Then this morning woke up for breakfast, training at the race site, driving the bike course, lunch and then packet pickup and race meeting. O was feeling majorly outnumbered at packet pickup. I'm not sure he is a fan of the all woman's race! :) I really love the shirt though. The motto for this race series is:

She Swims
She Rides
She Runs
SheROX!

Pretty cool. :)

Anyway, I got in some swimming in the lake (despite the signs that very clearly said NO SWIMMING) and WOW was that water warm! The SetUpEvents guy told me it was 84 degrees! Warmer than the YMCA pool! It actually felt really good though. The bike course is pretty flat and then the run course is off road on a rocky type trail. It's very shady though which will probably come in handy tomorrow when the high is in the mid 90s!

Regardless, I'm really excited, as if this is my first race of the year or something! I think what's also fun is that I start in the first wave (of only 4 other woman!) and since there are no men, us gals will really be "leading" the race! How cool is that! I'm going to pretend like I'm a pro, starting in that first pro wave. I even have a low number (#5), the lowest number I've ever raced with by far. :) Hey...we can all pretend and dream right?

So it's off to bed soon. But first O and I are going to look through the New Home Guide for the Charlotte area that he picked up. We decided we really like it here. And it doesn't snow. Why not? (yeah right...we'll probably live in Pittsburgh until the day we die... :)

Best of luck to everyone racing tomorrow!

Posted by beth at 7:56 PM | Comments (5)

September 12, 2008

To North Carolina We Go!

Well it's off to Charlotte, NC today and I'm very excited! I think one of my favorite things about triathlon and racing is getting to go to new and different places and the trips that O and I get to take together. Sometimes stressful but ALWAYS fun. How can you not love a road trip?

But of course you might be wondering..."Beth, did you pack yet?" To which I'd reply:

OF COURSE NOT!

And I have to leave to drop Roxy off (she is going to O's parents' house for the weekend) in about an hour. But yet I still take the time to blog. Because blogging is the ultimate packing procrastination! AHHH!!!

Regardless I am really looking forward to this weekend and to racing hard again! It's been far too long. :) And I couldn't have picked a better weekend because it is raining cats and dogs here in Pittsburgh and is supposed to continue this trend all day tomorrow. The Charlottle forecast, however, calls for sun on Sunday and a high of...94 degrees! Ouch! But at least I won't have to worry about brain freeze!

More stories to come I'm sure. Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by beth at 12:20 PM | Comments (11)

September 11, 2008

Brain Freeze

Usually I reserve the term "brain freeze" for that feeling you get when you eat something really cold (ice cream) too quickly and your brain revolts with waves of pain. But today I discovered a new definition. Similiar yet different.

Brain freeze now also occurs when one rides their bike in 50 degree weather with wet hair down a big hill at around 30 mph. The result is the same - brain revolt and waves of pain. Just a different cause I suppose!

I don't know what the heck I was thinking but somehow I decided that riding in shorts, cycling shoes with no socks, long sleeve with cycling jersey over top and a helmet was going to be warm enough when it's 50 degrees outside. Note no mention of gloves. Probably adequate clothing when you are coming off a long winter and this is your first ride outside and 50 feels like an oven. But NOT the case when the coldest weather you've ridden in for the past 4 months is 70 degrees!

I was frozen solid! And searching for hills so I could ride up them and get warm. Only problem is, for every uphill there is a downhill... :) But I did survive just fine and the feeling has now come back into my hands and toes. Earlier in the morning while I was waiting for it to get light enough outside to ride, I swam (hence the wet hair) and ran. Running in 50 degrees is positively delightful. Must remember though, I usually don't run at speeds of 30 mph and therefore don't have to worry about windchills like on the bike!

Hmm...what else? I think I'm done with PT for my hamstring! I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to be sure but at my PT appointment today the therapist was ready to release me. My hamstring is really hanging in there which is amazing considering how it felt a bit ago. The hip strengthening exercises that I do daily must really be helping. So now I will just continue to do those on my own, keep stretching the heck out of it and of course ice. Oh, and keep my fingers crossed too. ;)

And now for another blast from the past picture:

This one isn't from too long ago - I think 2004. This is my BFF Krista and I at the finish line of the Cleveland Marathon (those guys are taking our chips off I think). It was the 2nd marathon for both of us and we ran EVERY STEP of this one together. Even when I was hurting bad around 22 miles. Krista stayed with me and pulled me along. I have a picture of us doing the cheesey holding hands crossing the line thing. But that was one of my favorite all time race experiences. And that picture is one my all time favorites too and will forever sit on my bookcase! The actual day was pretty crappy. Cold and it POURED down rain for miles. (what can you say, it was May in Cleveland) But we both ran PRs - 3:11:09 to be exact!

Krista now has 2 children. And me? Umm...not so much. :) But she and O are planning a marathon comeback in Philly 2009!! I probably won't be able to do it as I would likely be coming off a long triathlon season at that point and the "M-word" is a big no-no from my coach's perspective. But of course I will be there cheering those guys on!

Posted by beth at 3:07 PM | Comments (4)

September 10, 2008

Racing Time Again!

Today I had a day off from training. Haven't had one of those for a while! (just looked in my log and it appears that the last day off was exactly one month ago on August 10th, part of my Steelhead recovery)

Now a day off can only mean one thing. Yes, that's right. IT'S TIME TO RACE AGAIN!!!

YIP! YIP! YIPPPEEEEEEEEE!

Racing is by far my favorite thing to do. Training? I could take it or leave it. :) No, I guess training is okay too but racing, now that's the thing that puts a twinkle in my eye! So I can never understand those people that do all sorts of crazy training but then don't really like the racing part. Ughhh... All that hard work and then you don't enjoy the prize at the end? Pure craziness I tell you! And another reason why I don't think I ever want to do Ironman (other than those 7 hour bike rides of course...). I feel like when you train for an IM that is your sole focus and purpose and any other racing (if you do much of any at all) is so secondary and minor and NOT priority. Hmm..not a fan of that at all. But I've never done IM so it could be that I don't have any idea what I'm talking about. Yes, that's likely the case.

So anyway, yes, time to race again! Over the next 6 weeks I have 3 races and that's very exciting! First up is this weekend in Charlotte, NC - an all women's sprint race! If I could have, I would have loved to race at USAT Nationals this year. But Portland is a far ways away and very expensive to get to. I've already flown/traveled to so many races this year and the budget just wouldn't allow for another trip with air flight, hotels for several days and car rental. Bummer. But there is always another year. And, I truly am excited for this all women's affair in Charlotte. We are leaving on Friday. YIPPPPPEEEEE!!!!!

After Charlotte is the US Open in Dallas in early October and then the BOUS race in Tempe, AZ in late October. I just cannot wait. Racing is such a reward for me, even when it doesn't go well. If I could, I would race every weekend.

Which brings me to next year. Where I do plan on racing every weekend!! Just kidding of course. But I AM excited to try some different races and some new things.

However one thing did occur to me last night. Next year I will actually be in a NEW age group! This doesn't really come into play in most of the Olympic races that I do but it will for the 70.3(s) that I have planned. So I quickly glanced at the results of some races in my current age group vs the results of my soon to be age group (30-34) and...um...noticed quite a big difference!! OUCH!!

Of course every race is different but the 30-34 AG will definitely present some new challenges. Women apparently speed up with age! Time to step up and play with the Big Girls 'eh?

Posted by beth at 4:09 PM | Comments (5)

September 9, 2008

Pet Peeves

This morning I did a few workouts, blah, blah, blah. Although I write about workouts a lot on my blog (a lot more than some people anyway), that seems too boring today.

So instead I'll write about some pet peeves of mine. I don't have many. Mostly because not too much bothers me. Seriously.

But I do have 2 things that REALLY bother me and of course they are the dumbest thing on earth. Still, these things get under my skin...

1) People who drive SLOW in the FAST lane. What. The. Heck?!?!?! This is my biggest pet peeve and if you'd like to seem me in a fit of rage, drive with me into work one morning when some dufus is driving 55 mph in the left lane. My blood pressure is raising right now just thinking about it!

Of course this is really MY issue because I'm so impatient. Especially in the morning. But PLEASE people! If you are not passing people in the right lane and indeed they happen to be passing you, YOU ARE IN THE WRONG LANE. MOVE OVER. Holy cats does that drive me insano!! Just like in a triathlon when people are riding in the middle of the road and you are trying to pass them on the left and you want to scream in their ear - MOVE IT!

And to make matters worse when these people finally realize that there is a 15 deep line of cars behind them because they have been holding up traffic for miles and they FINALLY move over, they are usually on their cell phones. ARGGHHHH!!! PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE!

Okay. I'm done.

Except for one other pet peeve...

2) Poor elevator etiquette. This probably doesn't irk me as much as #1 but still angers me from time to time.

You see I work in a hospital that has 13 floors. And many, many elevators that are always very, very full and slow. So here's the deal people:

*When you are trying to get ON an elevator, please, I beg of you, let the people that want off that elevator OFF first. Trust me, it just works better that way.

*When there are gads of people standing around awaiting an elevator, take a look around. Notice who was there before you and then, when the elevator comes, make sure those people that were there first get on and aren't stuck waiting for the next one while you jump the line!

*If you are in the back of the elevator when the elevator stops on your floor, the protocol is to kindly say "excuse me" to let people know you need off. Now, chances are, other people are getting off on that floor too SO under no circumstances do you start pushing to the front like a bull in a china shop.

*Sick people, patients on stretchers and those doctors that are carrying a code bag while a condition "C" or "A" is being called over the loudspeaker - THOSE people all take precedence over you and getting on the elevator. I don't care how hungry and anxious you are to get to the cafeteria!

Whew - okay - I think I got THAT all out of my system! :)

Now for some pictures. I forgot about them for a few entries! These are some pics from my short hair days. I had short hair for a really long time. Now I have long hair but I always pull it up. Not sure what the difference is but oh well.

This is from my freshman year in college at my first Big Ten Championships. The Big Ten gave every athlete competing a piece of luggage for each championship meet. So I have Big Ten duffels, bookbags, computer bags, etc... A whole set! :) And as you can see, the duffel is pretty big...

In this one, I'm the one in the black, long sleeve shirt. See the short hair? This is my high school track. Oh how many times I have circled that thing!

Good night!

Posted by beth at 7:45 PM | Comments (7)

September 8, 2008

Swimming With the Big Boys

This morning was masters swim and I was pretty excited! As I wrote about last Friday, I was going to make an attempt to swim a lane up and challenge myself and my new found swim skills. Swim with the swimmers. Swim with the big boys. As I got closer and closer to the pool I started to get a little nervous... Who gets nervous for swim practice? Well, I guess I do. :)

Things didn't go exactly as planned.

First, I was one of the first ones there. This is usually the case and allows for a nice, long warmup, but what it doesn't allow for is picking who you want to swim with! You just have to pick a lane and go, and then see who shows up. So I picked a lane in the vicinity of the faster group and started my warmup.

BUT - there weren't enough fast guys to fill up all the other lanes so essentially everyone had their own lane! (we are back in the big pool which, when set up for SCY, has about 10,000 lanes to pick from!) So of course I'm thinking - "GREAT, I'm going to have to do this workout on my own strength when very clearly the deal was, I get to swim on someone's feet!" Problem #1.

Before I got to worrying about that too much though, Coach Jen was announcing the workout. A 600, 2x300, 3x200 and then either 6x100 or another 600 (your choice). Okay! Here we go! Although problem #2 was - my group already left!!!!!

I swear it - Coach Jen finished announcing the workout when the digital clock read 39:54 and those guys started their 600 on the top...as in 6 second later...as in I didn't even have time to put my goggles on my head and they are already starting the workout! These guys don't mess around!

Needless to say, things weren't starting off well.

I panicked a little and then I thought of my options. I really wanted to try to do this workout with them, on their intervals, not 30 seconds off. I could jump in one of their lanes right NOW. I could just swim a 550 to get myself back on par. Or, I could just start swimming and swim really hard and maybe I won't be behind that far.

I picked the last option.

Luckily the 600 was on 9 minutes so even though they got about 1 min ++ of rest and I only got about 30 seconds rest (I guess I got my other 30 seconds at the start!), by the time we started on the 2x300 we were all on the same page. WHEW!

Next up was the 2x300 which were on 4:15 and were to be negative split. Negative split? Yeah, I was mostly concerned with staying with Ray in the lane next to me. My mantra the whole workout was "stay with Ray, stay with Ray, stay with Ray". If I couldn't swim on his feet, I guess swimming next to him was the next best thing. Just stay with Ray!

So we swam our 300s. Not sure if we actually negative split them or not but I can tell you for sure, the 2nd 150 of each one was really hard. ;)

Now onto the 3x200s which were thankfully on 3 minutes but were to be descended. Hmmm...I like the descending! These guys were definitely taking it easier on the first one and I came in at 2:40. Next one 2:35. Next one 2:30.

I've never in my life wished more that I knew how to do flip turns. ARRGGHHH!! My stay with Ray mantra was getting harder and harder and man did those guys get WAYYYY ahead on the turns. I'm a good open turner (I've got lots of practice!) but there is no way that open turns are as fast as flip turns. Mental note - MUST learn how to do flip turns well this off season. (someone PLEASE hold me to that as I've said it many times before...but never stick to it)

Finally, the 6x100 or the 600 straight. I knew I wanted to do the 6x100 because at this point in the season I need speed more than strength and I'm training for shorter races, not longer ones. Most of my group choose the straight 600 though so I was on my own - still though, chasing after their feet. The 6x100s were supposed to be on the tightest interval you thought you could handle and I ALMOST choose 1:25. But I knew that was the easy way out. SO GUESS WHO DID 6X100 ON 1:20?!?! I can't believe I did it. I've never done that by myself and it wasn't too bad! I came in around 1:16 for each so I had a few seconds rest.

Of course I was tickled pink when the workout was done, not necessarily because I swam certain times or because I did it in my own lane and not drafting off those guys, but mostly because I committed myself last Thursday to getting out of my comfort zone and that's exactly what I did. Swimming is hard for me. It's the sport I feel least comfortable with and the one I'm most self concious about. So I know I have to keep pushing and I have to keep raising the bar. I have to try to swim the same workouts as that next faster lane. And I have to challenging myself to bite off more than I think I can chew.

Because here's what I keep learning over and over again - you WILL rise to the bar that you set. So don't set your bar too low.

Now seriously - will someone teach me how to really flip turn? :)

Good night all!

Posted by beth at 6:41 PM | Comments (5)

September 7, 2008

Sunny Sunday

It is currently a BEAUUUUUUTIFUL day outside! I hope it's this nice in Wisconsin right now for the IM. In the mid 70s and sunny and not humid. Ahhh...my favorite!

It was even cooler and more fall like this morning when O and I ran. It was only in the low 50s! That is perfect running weather defined. But at this point in the year it actually felt a little chilly! We had a great run. The cooler weather always helps to make the running feel a lot easier.

Now I'm off for a bike ride. I have to unglue myself somehow from the IM Wisconsin coverage! When I get back I'm sure it will still be on!

Hope everyone has a great start to their weeks!

Posted by beth at 4:00 PM | Comments (1)

September 6, 2008

Fall is on the Way

It feels like fall outside. It's windy and cool and I was just looking up results from college cross country meets. O has been watching/listening to college football all day. (PSU won big - GO Lions) And school is definitely back in for just about everyone. All signs of fall!

This morning though - not so fall like. It wasn't hot but very humid. Still, I had a good 3:30 brick. And then a good swim. My pool water still tastes funny but it was most excellent not spending an hour driving today to swim!

In honor of fall cross country season - my next old school picture is of me running in college. I believe this is the NCAA Mid Atlantic Regional at Lehigh University in 1999.

Good luck to all those Wisconsin IMers tomorrow!

Posted by beth at 7:07 PM | Comments (1)

September 5, 2008

Chicken Arms

While I was looking at today's picture selection I finally figured out why I'm not a good swimmer.

I'm the 2nd from the left. Now look at those chicken arms! No muscle whatsoever! This is a picture from my high school senior year track season. (by the way - we had theme days at practice and this was apparently "wife beater" day as we usually did not wear this type of thing!) And this, my friends, is what I started with when I began swimming about 3 years ago. :)

Seriously, no excuses. And I know I'm not a bad swimmer either. But you have to admit, I had some work to do in the arm/back strength area before I could actually go about pulling some water to actually move forward!

Yesterday at masters practice we did 22x100 on various intervals with an all-out 100 at the end. The faster guys group in the lane above me essentially had 5x100 on 1:30, 5x100 on 1:25, 5x100 on 1:20 and 5x100 on 1:15 (not in that order but those were the totals when it was all over). I thought briefly of the possibility of trying to jump in with one of them. Can I do 100s on 1:15? Well, not exactly. But that might be because I never try. Or because I think in my head that I can't.

So I opted for the safe route, doing the workout by myself on slower intervals.

Stupid, stupid Beth.

Now why in the world would I have done that? Other than the fact that I was afraid of failing. But who the heck cares right? Who cares if I don't make the interval? Nobody!

I could have kicked myself. Not that my workout wasn't still challenging but why not aim a little higher? And who knows - maybe on their feet I could have swam 1:14s with 1 second rest.

When I got out of the pool I was angry with myself and disappointed in myself. And then Coach Jen told me "time to move up with those guys". Really? "Yep, you need to try and swim on their feet if you want to get faster". UGH!!!

I've been wanting to try to move up lanes for a bit now but for some reason I keep getting in the same lane every time I go to practice. It's not a big deal I know, but for some reason I am making it a much bigger thing than it is! I'm not sure what I'm waiting for. A hand delivered invitation? Someone to walk me over and introduce me to the guys that swim in those lanes? I don't think so!!

So I made a promise to myself to swim with those guys the next time I go to masters (Monday) and every time there after. No excuses. My coach wrote to me in an email the other day "Beth - you are a good swimmer and you better start believing that." Yes Coach, must start to believe...

So that's my swimming saga as it continues. :) I did have a great bike ride yesterday evening. It was hot but good training for my upcoming races! Not surprisingly I thought a lot about swimming while I was riding. I'm not really a big thinker and I don't over analyze things ever. But swimming has been on my mind lately. Or shall I say - always!

This morning, more swimming! Just an easy, short workout. And this evening some lifting. Working on those chicken arms of course... :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by beth at 8:01 PM | Comments (2)

September 3, 2008

Installment #2

Today's pictures are from the high school era. I actually think both of these are from the fall of 1995 which would have been my junior year in high school. I'm not positive though.

Anyway, that year was sort of a rough one for me. Or, more accurately, it started off roughly. I was injured ALL STINKING SUMMER long with IT band issues. I could look back in my running logs to be certain but I'm pretty sure I didn't run from early June until about mid to late August. But wouldn't you know I ended up having a great cross country season! By late October/early November I had raced myself into some pretty good shape and I was still really fresh mentally and physically because of the forced rest over the summer. That summer taught me a couple things. One being that the benefit of stretching well after each and every workout is major. That injury in and of itself got me started on my stretching routine that I still do to this day. After each and every workout.

And I also learned that injury, as frustrating and evil as it may seem, is sometimes a blessing in disguise. And that rest, forced or otherwise, might be more important than working hard for some people.

Anyway, I present to you the gals of Greensburg Salem High School in their mesh, basketball shorts. Yes, we won a state championship wearing those very shorts. :) I'm #35. In the second picture my friend and teammate Rachel and I are racing up the hill on our home cross country course. In the background you can see 2 girls dressed in the blue of our huge rival school Hempfield. It just so happens that O is a Hempfield alum. I still can't believe I married the enemy... :)

Anyway, speaking of running - I did some this morning. Hard running that is. Long interval fartlek. In the dark, cool morning which I think is my favorite! Running in the dark is kind of sketchy but I think it always gives you the sensation of running faster than you really are, which isn't such a bad thing! Regardless, the workout went well. When I was done I was pooped!

Then I went to work. One of the trauma patients I saw today wrecked his car into a tree because he started choking on something he was trying to eat while he was driving. Mental note, no more eating when I'm driving. Seriously, two hands on the wheel and eyes facing forward at all times! That is my PSA for the day! :)

Have a great night everyone!

Posted by beth at 6:50 PM | Comments (4)

September 2, 2008

Scanner Happy

Today, after 5 long weeks of being a pool hopper, MY POOL FINALLY OPENED AGAIN!!!!! Oh joyous day!!!!! All is well with the universe again. Life is good. I am one happy girl.

In other news, I got my hands on a scanner. This could be trouble. O's aunt and uncle have one and when we were at their house last night for part II of Labor Day Family Celebrations I put that thing to work! I wanted to have digital copies of some of my pictures from back in the day when things like film existed and digital cameras did not. Weird.

So I thought I would put some of these "old" pictures on my blog also. But because they have absolutely no order to them (I was picking very random pics from a span of about 20 years) and because I don't want to overload either you or my blog, I'll just post one a day.

Installment #1: (a *really* old one)

Very few might know that I grew up riding horses. And I loved it! Both my sister and I showed horses for many years before running took over. This is me on my (not really mine - we didn't own him) pony Soup. Don't ask about the name because I don't have any idea whatsoever. I don't know for sure how old I am here (any ideas Becky or mom?) but I'm going to guess 7 or 8? I look kind of small. Anyway, Soup and I were quite a combo and did well together. He was a good little guy!

What a blast from the past!

Anyway, back in the present, training has been going well. Yesterday I had an evil bike workout that consisted of really hard bike intervals on the trainer with very little rest. That is about the hardest combination I can think of. But it went well and I only lost about 5 lbs of sweat instead of the usual 10. :) I also ran yesterday - a nice 6.5 miler with O.

This morning I was rearing to go to get back in my pool! (notice I call it "my" pool when indeed I have no ownership of it whatsoever; nevertheless, it's a hard habit to break) But first I had a PT appointment. New exercises at PT this morning that I will admit were rough! They involved balancing and a big Swiss ball and...well...I may or may not have ended up on the floor a time or two!

After PT I drove over to the YMCA and did a little jig as I entered the pool. It felt like a reunion! All my old peeps and the pool that looked...well...exactly like it looked about 5 weeks ago! I asked what they did to it to which the lifeguard told me they painted it. Oh. I would never notice something like that anyway, unless of course, they had painted polka-dots on the bottom. I was secretly hoping they had used the past 5 weeks to install a hot tub but this turned out not to be the case. Bummer. But still, no complaints here!

I started things off with a nice 4K swim. It was awesome! (well, as awesome as 800 repeats could be...) and I felt strong and fluid in the water. The water was tasting a little funky and left me smelling worse than usual when I went home, but again, no complaints here (unless I start growing another ear...)

After the swim I did my easy run in the water (30 minutes). I usually run 5 days/week but since my hamstring and feet are to the point in the season where they hate me and protest running like none other, one of these runs (the easy, short one) is now in the water. My hamstring is amazing me in that it's really hanging in there so I'm very, very pleased. About 3 weeks ago I thought I was in serious trouble with it as it was really hurting and running was making it much worse. But somewhere along the way it started to behave and now although I still feel some pain it's manageable, it's not getting worse and I haven't missed any running workouts at all. This makes me smile. Now of course it could all change tomorrow... :)

Next up after the water running was a weights session. And then finally, home sweet home for that chicken sandwich that I had been thinking of all morning!

And now, I am off to make dinner. Yes, I am actually going to MAKE something. I'm not much of a cook, that's for sure. And so O and I stick to really easy and often times quick (who has time to cook something when you are hungry NOW!!!) things. Stuff like spaghetti, grilled chicken, hamburgers, stir fry and lots of fruits and veggies. Of course let us not forget pizza night.

But every once in a while I get a hankering to try something new and different. And the one thing about being a dietitian is, I get LOADS of crap...er...useful information in the mail about cooking healthy and receipes, etc... I guess these companies think dietitians can cook or something... :) Anyway, I got a magazine the other day that had some good looking receipes that had very minimal ingredients and easy directions. That's one of my requirements. If the ingredient list is really long with weird stuff on it - no dice. And if there are complicated directions with words I don't know, again - no dice. So we'll give it a shot tonight. And if it doesn't turn out good, there's always pizza night one day early... :)

Good night everyone!

Posted by beth at 4:01 PM | Comments (2)