Flip Flop... Flip Flop...

I'm pretty amazed at my running performance this year. It is anything but consistent. On Tuesday, in the hotel gym, I could barely get through my first mile when I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack. I slowed down my pace a bit, and struggled through Mile 2, only to start feeling fabulous again.

I somehow ended up rocking out five miles in less than 45 minutes. What?! That includes time walking and limping at the beginning of the workout. How could I barely maintain 10 min/mile pace at first, only to then fly consistently at 8 min/mile pace at the end of the workout?

Yesterday, I felt like crap. I couldn't even get off the couch. And yet this afternoon, I somehow kicked out 10 miles in 90 minutes on a route that was at least 25% uphill. I ran my normal 8 mile route to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, but threw in a loop of hills in the Presidio to really help me prep for the hills during Alcatraz.

14 Days and Counting Down. I seriously hope June 8 is a FLIP day and not a FLOP!

Crazy Talk

So I had a horrible thought yesterday while swimming in the pool, that I confirmed today while swimming about a mile and a quarter in the bay.

I am now a better swimmer and cyclist than I am a runner.

So, what to do about the fact that my next triathlon includes an eight mile run at the end? Well, I guess I better start by running tomorrow. Also thinking about actually RUNNING the infamous Bay to Breakers. Crazy, I know.

We'll see how tomorrow's eight miler goes...

Suddenly I See

I first started wearing glasses when I was six years old and in first grade. The teacher found it odd that I kept writing the wrong answers on my Mad Minute Math Tests.

7 + 6 = 1
5 x 5 = 10
etc.

I had a hard time reading the problems, basically, and was confusing the signs. So, we realized I should probably head to the eye doctor, who diagnosed me with myopia and astigmatism. Through the years, the myopia and astigmatism worsened to the point that I was 20/400. I could walk around my apartment without glasses on, but I would definitely bump into things. And I could venture outside of the apartment, but I wouldn't be able to see anything except blobs of color.

All that changed on Friday, when I had PRK surgery on my eyes. It's like LASIK, but is for people whose corneas are too thin for LASIK. Oh, and it hurts like a bitch, whereas LASIK is pretty painless for most people.

I spent the weekend in bed and on the sofa, washing down painkillers with a glass of wine. I think I slept more than I was awake. But today, I went back to the eye doctor for my five day check-up and my vision has improved to 20/25.

SUDDENLY I SEE!

Oh, and yes, I absolutely DID almost cry when I woke up in the middle of the night and I could read the alarm clock.

2008.05.09i - PRK Surgery

Wildflower 2008 - The Pics

2008.05.04 - Wildflower

Wildflower 2008 - The Story

There isn't a whole lot to report on Wildflower this year. For the most part, ever since my number was called in the Escape from Alcatraz lottery, I was treating Wildflower as a practice race.

Still, that didn't prevent me from getting both nervous and excited...

I convinced My Guy to join us for the weekend at Wildflower. I figure that he's heard me complain enough about all this training for the past few months, he might as well see it be put to use. It helps that Wildflower involves camping -My Guy cannot resist camping. So on Saturday afternoon, AER (who sadly had to drop out of the Long Course due to knee problems) and her guy, JH (who was also doing the Olympic Course with me) piled into the car to head to Lake San Antonio.

The day was marked by a series of unfortunate events for both JH and myself, including, but not limited to: front derailer issues despite having just been taken into the shop to be fixed (JH) and forgetting a wallet that contained the form of identification needed to pick up one's number for racing (Nic). We finally made it to the park around 6PM. Much later than we had hoped...

AER and JH had opted to stay in a hotel, so they dropped JCB and me off and we found a camp spot. Even though we managed to forget some additional camping necessities (like matches - not sure where our brains were Saturday morning...) we successfully cooked some dinner and crawled into our tent to get a good night's sleep. I love sleeping outside under the stars...

By 6AM, I was wide awake and ready to get moving. JCB took a little more convincing that it was time to get going, but we somehow cleaned up, ate breakfast, and made it into the transition area with plenty of time to spare. I met up with JH, wished him luck, and soon he was off into the water. I had another hour to go before it was my turn, so I stretched and made friends with the people around me.

I was lucky to see AER and JCB right before my wave started, so they wished me luck, and then the horn blew, and I was off into the water. Which was SO FREAKING WARM compared to the Bay which I had been practicing in. I almost wanted to swim slowly so that I could enjoy myself, but since this was a race, I pushed myself along. The swim felt great the entire time - very different from last year. And when I made it back to land, I realized I was coming out of the water pretty early for my age group.

My goal for the swim this year was to improve upon my performance last year - without knowing my time, I already felt successful. Later on, when I realized I had knocked five minutes off of my time, I was overjoyed.

So onto the bike. The Wildlfower bike course is notoriously difficult - lots of rolling hills and very few flats. But since I train in San Francisco, I am used to hills. So I charged when I could, and eased back when possible, trying to recover as much as possible on the downhills. The highlight of the bike is that I reached 43.2 mph while cruising down one of the downhills. I don't know if I have ever gone that fast in my life. It was so much fun!

My goal for the bike this year was also to improve upon my time from last year. With a side goal of not getting a flat tire or having to fix my chain. No flat tire, no chain issues, and a time about a minute faster than last year - I'll take it!

Now, if only triathlons didn't include running. Hard to actually acknowledge myself saying that, considering a couple years ago that marathoning was my favorite sport. But seriously, I just hate running after riding a bike. I decided to start slow, so as not to kill myself, as the Wildflower run is nearly all uphill. But right away, I started noticing so many people were passing me. I DIDN'T CARE. I just wanted to finish the damn race at this point, for all the excitement (Swimming in a warm late! Riding my bike at 43.2 mph!) was over.

I put one foot in front of the other for 10 kilometers, the entire time not able to shake the following two thoughts:

1) I am NEVER doing the Long Course
2) I am screwed - the run for Alcatraz is 8 miles!

I definitely forgot to stay positive during this last part of the race. And my time shows it. I finished the 10K in about 56:33. I don't think I have ever ran a 10K that slowly. I know it is just over 9:00 min/mile pace, and that really, that is a good pace for me on hills after swimming and biking, but it just felt terrible.

When I crossed the finish line in 3:05:44, I was happy. To be finished, yes. And to have marginally improved upon my time from last year, too. 5 minutes better if five minutes better. I'm positioned to break three hours next time around... And let's be honest. Despite all of my complaining about training this year, we all know there will be a next time.

Wildflower 2008 - The Results

The results are slowly rolling in, but Wildflower 2008 was a success.

My total time of 3:05:44 placed met at 57th in my age group, and 981st overall. However, since the results aren't all posted yet (and the tricalifornia.com website is down!) I have no idea how many people actually competed on Sunday. So I don't really know what those places mean.

But, I did improve upon my time from last year. And I'm really happy about that - considering how much more time I have spent on an airplane this winter and early spring than I did last winter/spring. Anyway, here are the times...

1.5K Swim Time: 0:27:37 (almost an entire 5minutes faster than last year!)
Transition 1: 0:04:07 (almost an entire minute faster than last year!)
25K Bike Time: 1:34:53 (about the same as last year - 8 seconds faster)
Transition 2: 0:02:42 (about the same as last year - 5 seconds faster)
10K Run Time: 0:56:33 (about 2minutes SLOWER than last year... oops!)
Total Time: 3:05:44 (over 5 minutes faster than last year!)

Additional statistics, plus pictures and full report, will follow.

A weekend at Wildflower was just what I needed, though. I'm super pumped for Alcatraz and for the training that I will endure these final five weeks leading into the race. Bring on what was once unimaginable. I am ready.

Legendary California Triathlon

As if I needed another reason to GET EXCITED...

http://www.riverplaceproductions.com/wildflower_about.html

Our bags are packed, and our wheels are pumped. We are taking off...

See you on the flip side!

Here Comes Wildflower 2008

I just went on my final run before Wildflower. I think I clocked close to 8 minute miles, too. So for the past few months (OK, it has been more than that) when I haven't been blogging, at least I've been getting my stride back.

It feels pretty good to be staring down the barrel of my second triathlon. I am actually excited to swim in open water, which is entirely unexpected. And I'm eager to see if I can do better this year than I did last year... Here's a recap of last year's results:

1.5K Swim Time: 0:32:21
Transition 1: 0:05:02
25K Bike Time: 1:35:01
Transition 2: 0:02:47
10K Run Time: 0:55:41
Total Time: 3:10:52

I wonder if I can come in under three hours?! Better get back to packing...

Swimming Past the Dock of the Bay

This past Sunday, I finally worked up the courage to swim in The Bay. Because, if I plan to Escape from Alcatraz, I should probably practice a couple of times.

So I joined a group of swimmers who regularly meet at Aquatic Park for open water swimming sessions. Even though I have some open water experience, I decided to stick with the beginners for my first time out this year. The tides were pretty rough, but we still ventured outside of the Aquatic Park cove - the furthest out I have ever swam from shore in the bay - a little less than a half mile.

It was a little scary at first - reaquainting myself with that cold 48 degree water, the zero visibility swimming, not to mention the feel of the current. But I settled in more quickly than I had hoped, and pretty soon, made it out to our buoy before the rest of the group. I was so elated that I peed my pants (wetsuit)!

Our coaches, on kayaks, lead us a little further out than we were comfortable, but we honestly, it felt pretty good. We did a few drills in the open water, practicing our sighting and how to read the currents. It was challenging, but exciting. And luckily, it was captured on film...

I think it is pretty easy to tell which one I am, despite the caps and goggles... And yes, you can probably infer from that huge grin that I cannot wait to go back and do it again.

P.S. I Love You

Arms that engulf and calm me.
A shoulder on which I can take a break.
A smile that warms the room.
And eyes that say more than words ever could.

Early morning text messages.
Or lazy Saturday mornings in bed.
Hectic Wednesday evenings at the computer.
Afternoons in the kitchen full of ambition.

Geeky habits and pastimes.
(That I adore.)
Interests and knowledge of which I am envious.
Unbelievably hilarious stories.

Kindness unparalleled.

Boarder Babes

It took six and a half hours, but we did finally make it to Tahoe Friday night. We climbed into bed around 2:30 AM and because there was a fresh coat of powder six-twelve inches deep on the mountains, we even woke up at 7:00 AM.

And because I am now too brave on a snowboard for my own good, I let them take me down Headwall. It was a sheet of ice, and I hated every minute of it, but I got down. And later on, we went down KT. Chute 75! It’s only like the steepest chute in all of Squaw. (So says AER. Who is not to be argued with while on a snowboard.) And what’s craziest, is that I only face planted once. Once!

Day 2 was pretty windy, so we headed to Northstar, where the wind is often not as bad due to the position of the mountains. We spent the day on the backside, only going down Black Diamonds. In and out of the trees. I hung at the back of the pack for most of the runs, but I did make it down before them once. Twice. I think…

I have always wanted to learn how to snowboard. And more, I have always wanted to be good. I won’t say I’m “good” yet, but I am pretty pleased with myself for keeping up with AER and LV for nearly an entire weekend.

Thank you, AER and LV, for pushing and pulling me down those mountains the past two seasons. There was a point on Sunday, when all four of us were flying down the mountain, when I just couldn’t have been more impressed with your strength and ambition. And to realize I also share those traits with you? Well that was just freaking awe inspiring.

Brick Wall

I haven't been consistently posting. Or training, for that matter. But I haven't been all that inconsistent, either. (And I cherish those small victories!)

Yesterday I completed my first brick workout of the season. And by the end of it, I felt not so much like a Brick House, but more like a Brick Wall. I completed a 42 mile ride (Paradise Loop) and followed it up with a 4.25 mile run.

The ride was great. I finished Paradise Loop - lots of rolling hills - in 2:40. And I felt fabulous, even climbing those last few annoying hills up Polk Street to get back home. And while the run wasn't terrible, it make me contemplate why I tell everyone I like triathlon so much.

Because yesterday's run felt like barely a jog. A pretty grueling four miles. And throughout all 39 minutes of it, I thought about how I'm a much better swimmer when I don't have to be in open water. A much better biker when it doesn't follow a swim. A much better runner when it doesn't follow a ride.

On the other hand, if I really gained so much pleasure from only doing things that I was good at doing, I probably wouldn't have learned to swim and ride and run in the first place. So, I guess it is time to sack up and bulldoze down this brick wall. I have some triathlons that I don't want to just finish, but finish well. With strength. And smiles.

No Business Like Snow Business

Here is the VERY short list of things I wanted for my 28th birthday, this year:

1) A vacation day from work (No one should really ever work on their birthday.)
2) A day snowboarding with My Guy (Tahoe, here we come!)
3) Ice cream (Chocolate. Obvi...)
4) MBT Sneakers (thanks, Mom!)
5) Birthday Sex (Stop gasping. If you don't want sex on your birthday, you are LYING.)

We planned to leave the office on Thursday February 21 by 2PM. True to form, we busted out of there at 6:05 PM, and arrived to pick up our rental car too late. So... City Car Share Coming Through it was. We walked to my house, packed my bags, picked up the Corolla, grabbed all of his things, bought falaffel sandwiches on Haight, and were on the road out of the city by 8:30 PM.

So typical of us...

A couple hours into the drive, we reached the snow line, and realized the small storm was turning into a rather large one. But after getting kicked off the highway and made to purchase snow chains - which really irritated My Guy from Colorado who has driven across a 14-er in an Acura, or so the story goes - we finally made it to the cabin.

It was an awesome weekend. Foot up on foot upon foot of fresh powder. Which was difficult for me to navigate at times, but incredibly fun to fall in.

Happy Birthday to me...

2008.02.22 - Birthday Weekend in Tahoe

A Ride with a View

It's not incredibly difficult to go on a beautiful bike ride in San Francisco...

2008.02.16 - Bike Ride with Jeremy

...but that doesn't meet I ever enjoy them any less.

Fire Drills

Apparently there was a fire across the street from my office. Not once did I see, hear, or smell a fire anywhere; but the electricity did go out around 1PM. It flickered off and on for about an hour, and then was 100% out by 2PM.

And since all of our back-up power supplies MUST go to the servers that host our systems, we didn't have enough electricity to keep all of our computers on. Which means we couldn't work. We couldn't even work from home, because we need our computers to access our public drives. Nor could we work on our computers to access our email. Which means, we really couldn't work! At all!

-- Power Outtage : Young Professionals :: Snow Storm : School Children --

So I sent myself to the pool. Maybe I couldn't work on my documents, but that doesn't mean I couldn't work on my stroke!

I have been pretty inconsistent with my swimming the past few months. To date this year, I have only made it to the pool twice, clocking a grand total of one hour and ten minutes and a distance of 1.5 miles. So today, given my wide open afternoon and a completely empty pool, I committed to spending an hour in the water.

I had no idea how much mileage I would accrue during the hour. And truth be told, around 40 minutes when I finished my first mile, I was pretty ready to get out of there. But I stuck with it and finished 1.5 miles in 1:02.

I took lots of breaks, sure. My workout had little order, really. My goal was only to stay in the water for sixty minutes. I mostly just tried to remember what it feels like to paddle, kick, and breathe without sinking. But I did a few drills, too. Some catch-up and some 100 repeats every two minutes.

But if I keep up with sessions in the pool like that throughout all of my training, I'll be on fire come Wildflower and Escape from Alcatraz!

The Enemy

I hate my scale.

He is REALLY such a bastard. I can't even tell you what he said about me today! He said I weighed... like, well... a totally unacceptable number. I gave him a chance to tell me something different - to apologize for perhaps mis-speaking. But he had nothing else to say. Just the same old shit, over and over and over again.

So I laced up my shoes and went outside for a morning 5 mile run. Fuming, I dashed through the fog. And after I settled into a rhythm - meaning, I finally calmed down a bit - I began wondering if perhaps I had taken what he said out of context.

But I got home, and after a run, my scale basically said the exact same thing to me.

SHIT!

Strict training, here I come...

Yes We Can!

It is always so great to come home. Really. Especially after traveling abroad.

Normally I'm glad to come home to my 24 hour Walgreens, where I can find anything I could ever imagine I might "need." I tend spend too much time in other countries figuring out what store I need to visit in order to purchase something that I all of a sudden REALLY need. (For this trip to UK what I actually REALLY needed was a needle and thread to sew a hole in my pants. I couldn't find them anywhere, so I walked around all week with a hole in my crotch...)

But today is Super Tuesday! So today, like previous days, I am glad to be back in America. But today, perhaps unlike other days, I realize that I am also really happy to be an American.

All over London, I was asked by the locals, "Who do you think will be your next President?" It was kind of crazy to realize how much impact the President of the United States has on people in other countries. If not because of US international policy, at least for conversation's sake. And it was rather insane to see a picture of an Obama rally on the front page of a London newspaper on Monday morning while I rode The Tube to the airport.

(I don't even know how often Obama has made it to the front page of the SF Chronicle! Perhaps I should read the paper more often...)

However, with this sudden re-realization that voting is awesome, I stopped by my local polling place this morning to cast my ballot in the 2008 Presidential Primary election. I proudly selected my Democratic ballot and cast my vote for Barrack Obama.

It is expected that over 8 million California voters will be casting ballots today, breaking the record turnout for a primary election established in 2000 at 7.9 million. I hope the masses get out there to vote. After spending a week abroad, I think it really is important to make the most of my citizenship in a country that can change.

"YES WE CAN!"

London Pictures

2008.01.31 - London

London Lagging

It has been nearly a full week in London. Working late at night. Only to wake up early in the morning. Sitting down with clients. Eating out with them afterwards. Drinking, walking, drinking, walking, drinking, walking...

I'm bloody exhausted!

The trip was successful, though. Work went well. Mom arrived safely. And considering the fact that she cried at Buckingham Palace and is now passed out on the sofa next to me, I am pretty sure that she had a good time.

I spent Tuesday - Friday working throughout the day and entertaining throughout the night. Saturday and Sunday I traversed the entire city with my mom by foot and by train, but mostly by foot. We clocked about nine miles on Saturday and another five today. Not sure how many on Thursday, but I bet by the time we make it to our gates tomorrow, we'll hit the 20 mile marker.

In our four days together, we drank fewer than two bottles of wine and only a six pack (dispersed in pints throughout the city!) of beer. Only one dessert, but plenty of chips, though!

Not to mention pics! But they are going to take a while to upload, so... Cheers to a long week in London for business AND pleasure. It is time to go to bed.

The Numbers: January

I earned too many United Mileage Plus miles. And I didn't spent enough time in the water, on the road, or on a trail. But it was a better showing than what I put up in December!

Swimming: 1 hour, ten minutes - 1.5 miles
Cycling: 1 hour, 40 minutes - 16 miles (City riding, not so much cycling...)
Spinning: 3 hours - 56 miles
Running: 5 hours, 12 minutes - 33 miles
Walking: 12 hours, 45 minutes - 33 miles
Snowboarding: 16 hours
Weight Training: 3 hours

February is now upon us and it is time to get serious...