Progress.

After an injury, in the process of recovery, sometimes it's hard to see any progress. I am running more and more every week, and I feel strong and am back (and even beyond) where I was before I was injured. However, sometimes I still have feelings of self-doubt (when my hip aches) or wonder where I 'could' be if I hadn't gotten hurt. I also haven't done much FAST running or racing this year, which is how I have judged my fitness in the past.


In looking at my July running summary (79 miles!), I graphed my running per week since March 1 (started slowly coming back Mid-March). In looking at this graph, I realized I have made SO MUCH progress, and, more importantly, I have been smart in my progression. I can't wait to produce the same graph after the 4 months of marathon training are over!

**PS this includes my planned 14 miles this weekend**

Although this may not seem like a lot of running to some, the most I have EVER run in a month is just over 80 miles, and my highest mileage week ever was right about 28 I believe. Next month alone should surpass both those previous highs!

Proof is in the pictures...

OK, OK, so I am quite proud of myself. I'm definitely not a girly-girl, by any stretch. However, cleaning the bathroom is one of my LEAST favorite things in the world. I would choose laundry and even scrubbing the fridge before cleaning the bathroom. And yes, I live alone, so it's only MY bathroom. Don't care.

So I will say it again- I am quite proud :)



Before...ew.....dirty dirty. Have to preface: I have the ONLY bathroom in my entire building that has not been updated. But I refuse to let them because I have amazing art deco black and white subway tile and floor, and a tub you could drown in it's so huge. (and yes these are small on purpose bc it really is that gross):

And after...so fresh and so clean, clean!

Also, please note- I am realizing these pics have a nice brown-tint to them. That is NOT dirt- I SWEAR! I had the camera on night snap shot, so the flash made it funny colors!! OK, fine, I will do some OXY-clean scrubbing tomorrow!

Oh also....

I was just getting ready to go for a short recovery ride to spin out my legs after yesterday's hard run, but I got sidetracked....

....re-caulking my bathtub.

Fall race options.

I sort of need to decide what my deal is.

I am going to do an hour swim+long bike (50ish miles) on Friday, I think it will help me with the decision process. I did a 25 mile bike ride this week that took way more out of me than it should have. Right now the options are getting more and more limited. Here they are, with the pros/cons of each:

1. Pumpkinman. Have wanted to do this for awhile, looks like an amazing course, small race, amazing RD. Cons: Expensive, far away, need to rent car and get hotel. Lots of travel a few days before I leave the country, and I worry about the recovery on the plane.
2. Annapolis OLY. Just found this, and I think it's the leading option right now. It's an OLY, feel more confident about the distance, and I could actaully RACE. My family could come. Still a few days before I leave, but less recovery as it's only an OLY. Cons: Would need to rent a car, and has mandatory Sat. bike check in, which means I would probably still need a hotel.
3. Chesapeakeman ULTRA swim fest (or AquaBike). Not sure why, but for some reason I really want to do this. Cons: It's the weekend I get back from South Africa.
4. Bassman HIM. Just found this one today. Oct 5. 1.5 hours from NYC (in NJ). Race day packet pick up, could probably borrow a friends car, so this would be the most cost effective option. Cons: Would be off my bike for two weeks in South Africa. Also worry a bit that it's too close to the NYC Marathon (a month later) and would 'mess up' my training schedule. (If i did this, I would NOT do the Staten Island Half the next weekend, which I am totally OK with and I actually think there is a NYRR long-training run in the park that weekend as well).

Ugh. I think it's going to come down to whatever is open, and I can afford, when I finally get around the making a decision. If I can work out the logistics, right now I am leaning towards Annapolis, AND Bassman if it isn't sold out and I can decide while I am IN South Africa or when I get back.




(and PS the bike would be a birthday/christmas/new years present to myself...forcing me to actaully ride it over the winter because I would feel bad....don't you love the reasoning??)

I want...

A Hidden Gem...

This is my third summer living in NYC. Since I moved, I have heard about this elusive 48-yard outdoor pool that has free lap swim hours in the AM and PM. I have had friends go, but had never motivated (not super close to where I live, but very close to work...). I also had my gym, which has a pool and is way closer to home and more convenient.

Well, a few weeks ago, I quit the gym. Could no longer justify paying to go maybe 1-2/per week. And really, the only thing I thought I would miss was the pool. This morning, I finally motivated to swim at the outdoor pool and am SO happy I did. I was greeted by the sun rising over this:


I've only swam longcourse a handful of times since college, and I just LOVE it. The time and distance goes by so much faster. I think this pool is going to be a very good thing for me. Oh, and now I just need to get a new training bikini, of course....

Not pretty.

Just ran 11.2.

Basically ruined the run in the first 2 miles, as I had to semi sprint to the bathroom after about 5 minutes of warm up to avoid a disaster.
Had a little pity party about mile 8.5, walked a bit.
Had some cramping, dumped my Nuun/Carbo Pro at about mile 8ish- I think it helped as I was able to recover well on the last 2.5 loop and bring my pace to where I want it to be for long runs.
Still learning, may just do Nuun in water next week and more Gu.

Changing Perspective

As per usual, over a week has gone by and I have not been on my bike. Excuses as always: did my long run Saturday morning, cheered all day at the NYC tri on Sunday, my hip hurt, it was raining...blah blah blah. I also have the idea in my head that if I'm not on the bike for at least an hour or 20ish miles, it's not worth it to go out. Takes too much effort to get my bike out the door than it's worth.

As of today, that attitude it OUT the door. Riverside Park, and the West Side Bike Path, are less than 1/10 of a mile outside my front door. Yes, this can be an annoying ride and you're not likely to average over 16-17mph because of traffic and oblivous annoying people, but it's better than nothing. And when time is limited, it saves the time it takes me to get over to the park through traffic and traffic lights. So tonight, I figured it was early enough to beat the night time rush on the West Side, and I did 13 lovely miles. And it only took 45 minutes. This is better than nothing and I am going to start thinking of my time on the bike as additive: every little bit counts.

Snapped a great shot when I turned around, loved the softball field and game in the midst of the Financial District high rises:

My doctor appointment went really well this morning. I am glad I had some time to put things in perspective after my Tuesday freak-out, I was feeling well enough to run 5 miles last night and was only a bit achy this morning. We talked about achy vs. nagging vs. pain and the fact that I should only be worried if the ache or pain is limiting my activity (after resting it for a day or tw0)- Dr. M. also recommended a massage therapist for 2 deep tissue massages to loosen up my hips, and a strength training specialist to help me develop a routine, as he was worried my right leg is still significantly weaker than my right.

I will have to look into these options in terms of costs, as I may have to choose between the two, but it was good to hear that Dr. M had confidence in my moving forward with the marathon. I really think the strength training is important and it would be really nice to have someone help me develope a routine to focus on certain areas.

It was also fun to see Dr. M today because he did Lake Placid this weekend and was on top of the world. He had a great day, got a course-PR by more than 20 minutes in the crazy weather, and most importantly beat his brother by 30 minutes :)

None of the above....

Tonight, I got home from work, changed into running clothes, and promptly sat down on the couch. Then I proceeded to:

decide not to run, eat 2 celeste pizzas (gross, I know), watch 30 minute meals, decide to run, run 5 miles in 100% humidity, in a cotton t shirt, praying for rain the entire time.

Of all these decisions, i would recommend NONE OF THE ABOVE. I feel like crap now.
Sur-prise!

I have an appointment with the ortho, Dr. M, in the morning. Had a minor/major freakout earlier this week with my femur. I think (hope) I just did a few too many squats and lunges on Monday night, but I woke up Tuesday with my leg feeling worse and in more pain than it has since I originally hurt it. Still nowhere near the pain I was walking around on before, but definitely more than the 'aches' that are commonplace. It was feeling much better today (thus the run, still probably not the best idea), which makes me think that it was just my groin and surrounding muscles being angry that I have not been doing enough strength training, but I am still keeping my appointment.

I know that only I can really know what is going on with my body, and NEED to listen to it as I try to continue to up the miles to prepare for the marathon, but I guess I just need my ortho to tell me (yet again), that my hip/leg/groin is GOING to ache, probably for awhile. So that is what I am hoping he will tell me. Fingers crossed.

So sad.

Photo from nytimes.com

A 32-year-old man competing in the New York City Triathlon died Sunday after being pulled unconscious from the Hudson River on a day when competitors battled heat, humidity and stinging jellyfish along the course.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/sports/othersports/21triathlon.html?ex=1374379200&en=3b335082dc6b5a3c&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

I apparently walked away from the swim exit about 10 minutes before the man who passed away was pulled from the water. Some people I had been cheering with witnessed the EMTs trying to revive him and were really shaken up. My heart goes out to this family.

Random Thoughts.

Random thoughts during my 10 mile run this morning:

1. I'm really bummed I'm not doing NYC Tri tomorrow. I think of all the races I haven't done this season, I'm most bummed about this. Which is sorta ironic, because I really didn't enjoy (hated?) this race last year. But part of me just wants to redeem my slow-ass bike from last year.
2. I miss racing. There was a NYRR race in the park this morning, and I wanted to be racing. FAST. With my legs burning and lungs on fire. Instead, I plodded along at my 9:45 'long run' pace.
3. I REALLY need to figure out my fall race schedule. It isn't working out like I want it to, so I am just tempted to focus on the marathon. Maybe find a fall century ride to keep me on the bike? Dont' think a half IM is in the cards this season, which is OK. I just need to accept it. More important to get through the Marathon injury free and build a base for next year.
4. OR (and this is sorta crazy talk)- I was thinking about considering the Chesapeake Man ULTRA SwimFest (just the 2.4 mile swim of the Iron distance race) or the AquaVelo (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike). That may be a bit ambitious. But the SwimFest is a definite option. And it's close to home (same area as Eagleman), so I think I could get my family to join. It would be 1 week after I am in Africa for two weeks. But there are great pools in 2/3 cities I will be in.
5. I'm really excited to go back to South Africa. I will need to do a 18ish miler in Cape Town- really excited to map out an amazing crazy beautiful run. Too bad the next weekend I will have to do 12-14 miles on the treadmill in Jo'burg. Blah. But treadmill is better than the 1/4 mile indoor track, I think. Maybe I can find a running club actually? Will have to check that out.
6. NO SHIN PAIN! Yay
7. I want a tri bike. Really badly.
8. I hate humidity.
9. I wish I was going up to Placid tomorrow to watch the race. Why do they schedule NYC the same weekend as Placid- I think it's so annoying and stupid.

OK there are my deep thoughts of the day.

Philly photos

Stealing these from Brightroom, obviously, so I'm not sure how they will turn out. Its the first time I think I have gotten race photos that I didn't cringe at.

PS- I am holding a cup of water in the run pic, and am probably in mid-gulp, so it's a bit silly looking. I have better run form than that, I swear!

Central Park...How I love Thee

During a great ride in the park tonight, I experienced all that lovely central park has to offer. All in all, it really was a great ride. But during my last two rides in the park, I have had a few 'typical' run-ins that got me thinking about my favorite 'types' of cyclist in Central Park. In no particular order:

1. The 250-lb man who gets 6 inches off my wheel and grunts as he lets me pull him around the park. [The same person has done this to me more than once.] When I very clearly brake and very clearly move to the side, he very clearly has no intention of riding by. This is when i throw in a pick-up, or just wait until Harlem Hill to try to get rid of him.


2. The man riding the bike that costs probably as much as I make in a year, who is poking along until I ride up next to him, and he promptly hammers away, jumping from 17mph to 25mph. Because God-forbid you let a GIRL pass you on a SMALL, entry level bike....


3. The 15-20 men riding in a double pace line in full team attire at 7:30pm in the park. I mean....really? (I almost got run over by one of these pace lines today. Actually, not by the pace line, but one JACK-A$$ in particular who seriously almost mowed me over , even after I had moved to let the stupid pace line go by. I mean, it was so close that the guys on the end of the line slowed down to make sure I was OK and I heard them yelling not-so-nice things at him they rode away).

But my all time favorite person I met in a lovely exchange last week. During an already miserable ride where I just wanted to be home, I was heading down the back Harlem Hill, and was passing a bike-commuter on the right. I didn't make it known I was passing, but I had more than enough room that I wasn't anywhere NEAR him, that is until he decided to start swerving towards me (as 28 miles per hour). I let out a simple 'Whoa, on your right'.

His response, with no hesitation?

"F*ck you, you fat whore!"

I have never laughed so loudly in my life. Someone clearly has some unresolved mother issues.

BUT so this isn't a 'I hate Central Park' (which I don't!) post, I will share some pics from last night, when the NY Philharmonic played one of their free shows on the Great Lawn

Need to make a decision

After the race on Sunday, I decided there was NO WAY I would be ready for my first Half Ironman (Pumpkinman) on September 7.

But then I was thinking, I am training for the marathon starting TODAY (6.3 miles this AM), so the run distance will be covered.

I have agreed to ride long with my friend going to KONA two times before Sept 7, once on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (hopefully at least 70 miles) where we are going on vacation with my family, and once (or even twice) over Labor Day weekend in Vermont, as we are renting a lake house with friends. And I have other weekends without plans between now and September, too. So the bike is (semi) covered.

And I'm not really worried about the swim.

So the question is...WHAT TO DO!???! I really want to do it. Looking at the calendar, there aren't any other OLYs that fit into my schedule (am going to South Africa for work Sept 10-21). That takes all the really popular OLY in this area out of the picture (Mighty Hamptons (loved this race last year), Westchester (sold out anyway), Lake George Tri).

I don't know what to do. I think if I sign up for the half, I will train. I think I can physically do it. But do I want to 'finish' or 'race'- back to my mixed feelings about my race this weekend. But is 'racing' in the cards at all this season- I just don't know...

Philadelphia Women's Sprint Triathlon 2008

Short Version:

Swim (1/2 mile): 10:41 (20 overall)
T1: 1:20
Bike (17 miles): 51:20 (19.9mph, 71 overall)
T2: 0:59
Run (5k): 24:27 (7:54, 98 overall)

Total Time: 1:28:45
15/97 F25-29 Age Group, 40/723 overall

Long Version:

I wasn't in the best mental state going into this race. I had a rough few weeks of workouts, both because of travel and in terms of being honest with myself about how my leg has been feeling. I realize now that in the two weeks before the race, I was on my bike a total of 3 times. I haven't been upping the miles as much as I would have liked with running either,so I wasn't quite sure what to expect in terms of fitness.

Being a sprint, I thought I could fake my way through an hour and a half and have a good day. I wasn't kidding myself that any speed would be there, but I thought I had enough of a base to enjoy the race. I should have learned last year from my miserable experience at the NYC Tri that not being at a place were I want to be fitness-wise will NOT lead to an enjoyable day of racing. My times and splits for the day are fine, especially with the amount of effort I have been putting in over the past few weeks, but regardless of times, for me, being FIT enough to RACE is the only way to enjoy a race. Lesson learned (hopefully).

Saturday

Went down to Philly with a good friend from college and was able to stay at her parents place about 20 minutes outside the city in New Jersey. Packet pick up was a breeze on Saturday afternoon, and enjoyed the suburbs on Saturday night, including some nice chocolate-dipped frozen custard. Stopped at Panera to pick up some bagels for the morning, and I had also brought a Peanut Butter sandwich from home. Got to bed early, and had no trouble falling and staying asleep.

Sunday, pre-race

Woke up at 5:10, had plans to leave by 5:30 as transition opened at 6am. We were in the 2nd triathlon wave and the race started at 8am, and I like to have ample time to get to the race, not stress about parking, stretch and warm up. My friend is the OPPOSITE, she would roll into transition at 7:50 for an 8am start, so she graciously agreed to calm my nerves and get to the race early. It also had looked like transition wasn't assigned when we picked our packets up, so I wanted to get there early to get a good spot in transition. On the drive to the race, I had a plain bagel and about 20 ounces of water. I wasn't nervous at all, and my friend and I were having a great time.

Got to transition, turned out transition racks were assigned, but our age group got a great spot and we were down in transition with LOADS of time to spare. Went on a quick warm up jog and stretched, went to the bathroom, and at this time it was still only about 7:15am. It was then that I realized I had only had a bagel and water to eat. I pulled out my peanut butter and debated- I KNEW if I ate it then, I would be tasting it during the swim and bike, but I also knew a bagel wasn't enough calories, even for a sprint. Decided to suck it up and ate the PB sandwich. Also had a Gu about 20 minutes before our swim wave.

Swim, 1/2 mile, 10:41

The swim was in the Schuylkill River, which felt about 100 degrees. It apparently didn't hit the temp were wetsuits weren't allowed, and there were quite a few women who did wear wetsuits, but I felt like I was hot just in my tri shorts and top, I couldn't imagine how hot it would have been in a wetsuit. It was a deep-water start, and there were about 100 people per wave. I had thought by looking at the wave assignments that we were in the first triathlon wave (2nd wave overall, the first being the Du wave), but I was incorrect. There was a wave before ours that consisted of 'bosom buddies' (whatever that meant), mother-daughter races (very cool!), and 'survivors' (breast cancer, I would assume?). However, once on the course I realized somehow some of the elite athletes (I believe the overall 1-2 finishers) were also in this wave. No biggie.

Our wave started without incident, the Under-19 age group was also in this wave, and this cutie 11 year old I had chatted with in transition lined up right next to me. She was very cute, and could tell was a little swimmer, and at that moment my ONLY goal for the entire race was to not let her beat me out of the water**. Now, think what you will about me wanting to beat an 11 year old, but this was a legitimate fear, because I know MY 11-year old self would kick my current 25-year old self's ASS in a 1/2 mile swim :)

Only about 100 meters into the swim, I looked up to sight and my hand and then promptely my FACE ran SMACK, STRAIGHT into a kayak. The kayak was sitting perpendicular to the swim course, in the direct line between the swim start and the first turn-buoy. After running into her, she yelled at me to look out. Hmmm...sort of think SHE was the one who should have been looking out, as she was in the MIDDLE of the swim course, but whatevs. Had to sort of doggy-paddle around her and get my speed up again, figure it cost about 10-20 seconds.

Felt fine in the water, not great, but not as sluggish as my Saturday swim, so all was fine. I could tell already I was missing that extra gear, and I wouldn't find it the entire race. I tried to pick it up a few times, but my body just wasn't responding.

T1, 1:20

I think my heart rate was the highest it was the entire race in my run from swim exit to my bike. No joke. Nothing of interest to note during T1. Had a bit of trouble clipping in/mounting my my bike, think about 2 women in my age group passed me as I fumbled with my clips.

Bike, 17 miles, 51:20 (19.9 mph average)

The bike course was a 2 loop, flat course along the river. You crossed over 2 bridges on the loop. I did not feel good on the bike from the start. Just didn't' feel comfortable- my ass hurt, my groin felt crampy, my legs had no power. Couldn't get my head in the race, and a few times I just downshifted and had to spin my legs and talk myself back into racing.

I am totally OK with people passing me on the bike. As a strong swimmer, and a not so-strong (weak?) cyclist, this will be a fact of my triathlon career regardless of how much time I spend improving my bike. But on this ride, it just felt like EVERYONE that passed was in my age group. Where were the 35-39 women who started in my wave? Where were the 30-34 speed demons from the wave behind? I tried not to let it get to me, but it definitely got a bit discouraging to be working as hard as I was, not getting the speed out of my legs I wanted, and be passed by women FLYING by (some in packs...grrr) at 25+ mph like I was standing still (and I was still going about 20 mph!).

Took in one bottle during the ride, 20 ounces of water with 1 Nuun tablet. This equals ZERO calories. I know that nutrition shouldn't be TOO important for a sprint, but it was plain silly of me to take in no calories on the bike. I have no idea what i was thinking. Apparently, I wasn't.

T2, 0:59

As I was riding to the dismount line for the bike, some race officiall yelled at my that I need new brakes (yes, my brakes are very loose and I actually like them like that...safest thing? No.). But, really buddy, how is telling me that in the middle of a race going to be helpful? Felt like I had a good transition, looking back, I would say this is the highlight of the race :)

Run, 5k, 24:27 (7:54 pace)

I don't want to dwell on the run. It was hot. I was hungry. I felt like I was standing still. I really tried to push the pace a few times (at the turn-around, at the 2 mile marker, at the '1 mile left' sign), but it just wasn't there. Like I said, T1 was the highest my heart rate got all day.

I felt EXACTLY the same as I did during the run of the NYC tri last summer. And I think all the same factors contributed: Lack of speed/run base miles. Lack of proper nutrition pre-race and on the bike. Bad mental attitude. Once I get down on myself on the run, no matter how fast I may be running, that's it. Towards the end of the run, my hip/butt/lower back on my injured side began to hurt and I was just VERY glad it was only a 5k run.

The aftermath:

Got some ice on my hip immediately after finishing. Got some yummy treats and hung around to see the results. Was back to the Jersey suburbs, laying in a pool by 11am :)

I think every race is a learning experience, and in the 5 races I have now done, two have been very similar experiences (this and the NYC tri last year), and I can only learn from them:

1. I need to be on the bike more. I always have the best intentions when it comes to this, but I need to follow through.
2. I need to run more/get more base miles under my belt. I am really working on this.
3. Nutrition is key. Not just during the race.
4. MENTAL ATTITUDE. Once I get down on myself, or if I am 'feeling' bad, I'm done. This is not OK

I have to admit, and this may sound a bit twisted, I am VERY pleasantly surprised to have been running under 8 minute miles for how HORRIBLE I felt. In a way, I am actually trying to think of that as a positive of the race and to learn from it. I may feel bad. I may feel like I am close to walking and stumbling along with people SPEEDING past me. This does not always translate to running 'slow.'

For me, RACING is what makes triathlon fun. This doesn't mean winning my age group, or even being 'competitive' in my age group, whatever that means. It means being able to respond when someone passes you on the bike or the run. Or to see someone ahead and be able to at least attempt to run them down. It means going into the swim wanting to be the first out of your wave and having it be a LEGITIMATE goal. I learned yesterday, the same way I learned in NYC last year (my first OLY), that a bit more effort is necessary to allow this to happen. I put the effort in after I got back to working out after my injury/trip, and I had the results I was looking for in Gold Coast.

So all in all, not a great race. But overall, I think I learned a lot. This experience is also going to force some major reflections as I plan the rest of my race schedule this year.

**Just in case you're wondering, which I am SURE you are... I beat the 11 year old out of the water....by 25 seconds! My life is complete.

Second Sighting...

I saw my old friend the Spandex-Scrunchee Man on the 1 train this morning. Last time I saw him, he was wearing this:

This morning, he was sporting white spandex shorts, with black polka dots, a variation on the above tank top, and a white scrunchee. Unlike the picture above, which I took over my shoulder, I was able to get a better look, and he had some fabulous jewelery as well.

Swam easy for 30 minutes this morning, hoping to get me a bit excited for my race this weekend. Sorry to say, it didn't help. I felt sluggish and sore. Did few fast 50s descend that were OK in terms of time, so that was good at least. This hasn't been the best week in terms of work-out quality or mental attitude for me, so I am in a bit of a rough place going into tomorrow. On top of that, I am having a bit of trouble managing my expectations after the results of my last race. Last year, I went into every race with NO expectations, and am trying to keep that attitude for this weekend. I don't want to be disappointed in myself and my performance based on the outcome of the race. So my goals for tomorrow:

1. HAMMER the swim- this should be interesting considering I haven't had a really quality swim work-out in a few weeks, but I think I can suck it up for 10 minutes. Doing the race with an old college swimming teammate, so this should help motivate a quality swim.

2. LISTEN to my body. My hip has been 'talking' to me this week, and I need to listen. If I feel at all funny or not right during the race, I need to be honest with myself about the best thing to do.

3. HAVE FUN. This is an all female race, there are mimosas at the finish line, and I am in the first tri wave- all these things should combine for a FUN race and I need to keep the focus on that.

Ok, off to Philly, have a great weekend!

PS-

I am racing this weekend.

And there are Mimosas at the finish line

....what could be better? How about being in the first wave, which means...MORE MIMOSAS FOR ME! Don't you worry about my priorities....

Falling in Love- Wisconsin Style

Oh, how I wish this was the story of falling in love with a boy. But for now, falling in love with a City will just have to do...Madison. Almost like a boy's name, but not really.

My best friend and I ventured up to Madison from Chicago for a day of boating, corona-ing and general lounging. We have a few friends that live there, and I had never been, and actually had never realized how close it is to Chicago. 2 and a half hours after leaving Chicago, we were immersed in the quintessential Madison summer-weekend experience: the farmers market.

This market is open every Saturday morning in the spring through fall and surrounds the Capital building on all four sides. Amazing vendors selling various locally grown things, plants, arts, etc, including the world's most amazing spicy cheese bread I have ever tasted. There was also an abundance of cheese curd, which I resisted trying, lord knows I need yet another incredibly unhealthy food to crave.

After a stroll around the market, we headed about 20 minutes outside of Madison for an afternoon on a Pontoon Boat. The rest of my day consisted of amazing views, way too many coronas, and one very competitive cannonball contest.

(hi all- this is the first pic I have put up of me..hello!)

Taking it all in...

Bombs away!!

As the day went on, I realized how much I LOVED Madison. It was big enough to have a 'city' feel, but definitely had a smaller city charm about it. There were people outside everywhere, biking, hiking, boating. I am sure it helped that it was a holiday weekend with perfect weather. After dinner (and more Corona), we headed to the 'Terrace' to watch the sunset and play some card games. There is a terrace attached to the University of Wisconsin's student union with a sunset over the lake that could rival the tropics...

We managed to get into some quality trouble as the night progressed, and the night ended with me getting a tuturiol on how to play 'Buck Hunt' (apparently it's the 'Golden Tee' of Wisconsin??) by a lovely Midwestern fellow...what better way to finish off a Wisconsin day?

Now, rewind a bit. When I first arrived in Madison, I realized I had never been to a city/place where an IM is held. Upon driving into the city, we drove straight into the famous terrace/parking deck that houses the transition areas for IM Wisconsin. I got really excited and realized, "Hey! I could swim the IM Course!" It must be right around here (I was also with my best friend from forever who I met through swimming, and meeting up with three ex-Dartmouth swimmers). When we arrived at our friend's apartment, I wouldn't give the idea up (no one else seemed interested in swimming 2.4 miles, not sure why?), the girl we were staying with pointed out her floor to ceiling windows and said, "the course is RIGHT THERE!- We will watch you from up here!"
Her view literally looks over the IM Wisconsin swim course and transition. This picture doesn't do it justice, but you could see the entire transition area and the round spirals you have to run up after the swim. It was so cool.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, the swim didn't seem like such a great idea, and when I looked out the windows, there were about 5 people trying to swim into what looked like 20mph winds. Not so much fun. So I opted for a tasty breakfast and walk by the lake instead.

But the pure excitement and nervous energy I felt just SEEING the swim course made me realize that I have fallen in love with triathlon. I can't say when, or even if, a full IM is in my future, but the desire has been confirmed. Now I just need to get my body in line with my mind. Easier said than done, but I'm working on it.

Chicago in Pictures

Left for Chicago last Wednesday. My flight was about 3 hours delayed due to poor weather in Chicago, and sadly, made me miss the Tom Petty concert for which we had IBM company box seats :( Was really sad, but it was beyond anyone's control, so tried to be a good sport. This is how I spent the next few days:

The view from where I sat on my ass in the sun all day Thursday, on my best-friend-since-I-was-13 rooftop in Lincoln Park:



The view from where I sat on my ass in the sun all day Friday (sensing a theme?), on Lake Michigan, just south of Fullerton:



This is the fabulous dinner we made on July 4th. What could be more American than corn on the cob and a Yuengling? (A hot dog you say? Don't worry- had that for lunch on the beach!)



The Chicago fireworks from the roof in Lincoln Park. You could see the Taste of Chicago show in Grant Park and the Navy Pier show, as well.




We headed up to Madison for the weekend, more pics to follow.

Honestly....

...how many pairs of shoes can I justify for a 6 day trip?




I guess I do need to leave some space for actual clothes....


Off to Chicago-land this afternoon. Maybe to Madison for the 4th and the weekend. Very excited to see old friends, lay in the sun, and enjoy the TASTE of Chicago (which is one of my favorite things in the world).

Also hoping a 10 mile run with a change of scenery (out of Central Park, ohhhh Lake Michigan how I love thee) will help snap me out of the little pity-funk I've been in the past few days when it comes to running.