Fits Like A Glove

I have a pair of cycling gloves that I love. They have ridden all over the place with me - across my home state of Tennessee, from Vermont up to Montreal and back down through upstate New York, around and about Virginia - and more recently they've seen me through training and my only two triathlons. Can you see how well loved they are?
They are older than the bike I'm riding now...by more than a decade. In fact, these beloved gloves predate this beloved child:

The "child" is almost old enough to vote and it occurs to me that the gloves are (perhaps) close to retirement age. I tried a few rides without any gloves whatsoever. I mean, less is more in a racing situation, right? Well, mebbe so for talented peeps, but my limited bike handling skills went right out the window. Sweaty hands do not make for smooth gear shifting, steering, or braking in my world. New gloves are called for!

So recently (on a weekend trip to DC with Donna), I broke down and bought these as a replacement:
They're pretty sweet. Fun Castelli scorpion logo, perfect size for my hands, nice and thin flexible padding, and even nifty between-the-finger loops to help pull them off quickly in transition. (I will refrain from whining that after only a few rides, one seam has already unraveled a tiny bit. I will also resist bemoaning what a pain it is to keep from losing one or the other without the benefit of velcro straps across the backs that can be threaded together.) My mini saga here has got me wondering if anyone else spends this much time thinking about their cycling gloves. Chime in! What criteria do you all use in replacing gloves? Are you brand loyal? Have more than one pair at a time? And how often do normal cyclists replace their gloves anyway? Do any of you manage to live without them completely?

Happy Monday all!

TODAY I LOVE: Skype (which I know is not new but I just learned how to use it - so much fun!)

The Way I Roll

I am no expert on human behavior, but I'm fairly certain that most people do not excitedly rip open their first Spinervals DVD and immediately pop it in the player to watch while eating a plate of nachos*. And yet, I'm not most people, am I?

It makes total sense to me that most people in general - and certainly all gung ho triathlon type folks - would pop their fabulous new DVD in the player and hop on their bike trainer to try it out. So. Not. Me.

I may have mentioned before that I'm a little anxious about mechanical matters. I'm definitely a follow-the-instruction-manual type. (Unlike John who doesn't even LOOK at the instructions when he puts things together. He ends up with extra parts - which stresses me out - but what he puts together always works. Even more irritating is that he can intuit how to use every feature while I'm still trying to decipher how to plug the darn thing in!) To say that I'm not much of a technical gal would gravely understate the situation.

I may also have mentioned that I get a little anxious about new workouts. I have issues about doing things the "right" way. I get flustered trying to learn too many things at once. I'm definitely not a jump-in-and-try-it kind of athlete. (Unlike Donna who has about a nanosecond delay between deciding she wants to try something and being in the middle of testing it out regardless of what equipment she may need. She just starts with what she has and makes it work. No drama. No hesitation.) I am not a fan of surprises in my workouts. To say that I'm all about some reconnaissance (recce) and consideration first would gravely understate the situation.

Which brings us to the situation (i.e. me sitting on my couch, stuffing my face, watching 45 minutes of other people riding bikes on trainers while Coach Troy sporadically tells them when to pedal faster.) I've never been to a spin class. I've never even seen one. I didn't know what to expect from a Spinervals DVD (despite reading the back cover of 47 different ones at the bike store before somewhat randomly deciding to buy one of them). I do know myself though. New workout+complicated machine**=sit down and take notes before attempting. I was not surprised to be about 3 minutes into the thing before I had a list of questions that were not answered on the DVD. (Nor were they answered on the website later despite my searching the FAQ's and perusing articles with names like "Getting Started With Spinervals".)

I have, however, made progress of sorts. I'm not only fueled and rested, but also confident that there are no more surprising or confusing instructions left uncatalogued. I still have no idea what Coach Troy's directions mean about what gear my bike is supposed to be in. I don't have a cadence measuring thingy (yet) and if I had a power meter I'm sure I wouldn't be able to figure it out either. The old me would have been overwhelmed by my technical/mechanical inability to do this workout "right". The new me has taken these obstacles in stride and is going to do it anyway. I've learned that light years away from "right" can still be in the ball park of "good enough". And "good enough" is the way I roll these days. But on the off chance one of you bike smart tri-peeps knows how to explain bike gearing/sprocket nomenclature in a manner that will not make my brain melt and in such a way as I can subsequently use that knowledge to get in the gear that is called for - I'm all ears!! Just a sec while I grab my nachos.


*They were at least healthy(-ish) nachos! Baked chips, nutrient rich beans and veggies, and low(-ish) fat cheese. I get points for that, right? 'Cause I didn't even have a beer or oreos for dessert or anything!
**The complicated machine in question being the bike/trainer combo - not the DVD player. I've got the DVD thing down cold. Finally.

Have Bike (Packed!), Will Travel

I feel RIDICULOUSLY accomplished to have partially disassembled my bike and packed her into a traveling case! We went from this:


To this:

With only a leetle help from our friends and a couple of weblinks. The hardest part was the first step. After much cursing and swearing and waving about of the pedal wrench, I sweet talked John into using his manly brute force to bully my pedals off. (We removed Donna's without a hitch so we knew we were doing it right, but mine were STUCK.) This site was VERY helpful - especially the advice to shift gears so that the chain was covering the largest ring. That little bit of wisdom kept me from gouging myself on the chain ring. Twice. Kevin sent this video link which would have helped a lot if I had seen it in time. (Thanks Kev!) Of course Donna was done with her bike in like 30 minutes, while I took almost two hours. She is much more willing to jump in and do. I have to waffle, re-check the instructions, stare at all the oily thingies, and THEN accomplish the step. (Lather, rinse, repeat.)

I am a tiny bit concerned about the re-assembly. Sure, sure, sure - all I have to do is follow the same directions in reverse. Do you want to know how not great I am at doing that with driving directions?! I think RBR said it well when she said, "I honestly do not think I would be willing to ride anything I had any part in assembling." That is how I have always felt about myself. Six weeks ago I would have more than happily forked over the $$ to have someone else (preferably someone who knew about bikes) do all this mechanical breaking apart/putting back together stuff. Now? I am embracing my 2008 Motto "Behold, I am doing a new thing." I am stronger (and hopefully more mechanically ept) than before. (Besides I have no more $$. My attorney has it all!)

If, on Saturday, you see a headline on the internet about some freaky race accident where not the rider, but the BIKE collapsed - you'll know who to blame and where to send flowers. (I like lilies, by the way.)

The Bonita, The Muse, & The Weirdness That Is Gel

Here is a more balanced review than what you would have gotten on Wednesday (or Th, Fri, or even Saturday! Yes, I was just that bitchy for that long!) *Note for the guys - you cracked me up with your comments about the girl gear. Sorry for yet another relatively gender specific post. You can skip to the Gel discussion towards the end or check back with me tomorrow for a more androgynous post!

The Bonita Skirt
Pros:
In terms of technical specifics - this skirt dries super (super, super) fast. It was RIDICULOUSLY humid today during our NINE (eek) mile run. For more than half the run I had sweat fringe dripping (pouring, cascading!) off of me from wrist to elbow. It was sooooooooooooo gross. Two separate guys we saw were soaked to the point they looked like they'd been swimming. I was ever so grateful for my cute and DRY skirt.

In terms of pretty - I love the way this skirt hangs! The slits are exactly right and the length is perfect. When the sun is behind me it's fun to see my shadow self with my skirt flipping and floating as I run. Maybe it's the conditioning from seven years spent in prep school wearing a short (as I could get away with) kilt, but wearing a running skirt suits me. My butt and thighs are covered instead of highlighted and exposed (<-- which is how I feel in running shorts). And yet, I don't look like a granny out there. Safe and still sassy - works for me!

Con:
Maybe I have mutant thighs - but the undershorts ride up. Grrrr! There was much bunching and chafing (and tugging and grumbling) on Wednesday's 4.5 miler. Friday and today I wore my under armour and was completely comfortable. Bummed to have to wear the extra layer, but cooler than I expected. I'm still in search of the perfect running skirt (i.e. one that is exactly like this one without the bunching!) but since I'd be wearing the under armour with either my old Nike skirt or any pair of running shorts, it's ok. In fact, it's ok enough that I'm going to wear this skirt for the half marathon in two weeks.

The Muse Hydration Pack
Pros:
Um. It's great for walking. The bottle doesn't spill and is easy to drink from. It is easily adjustable. There are two nice pockets - for gels, id's, phone, keys, what have you. There is even a little place to clip keys to so they're easy to retrieve. I'm sure it's well engineered.
Cons:
It drove me batshit crazy. It fit me perfectly around the hips but it didn't stay there when I started to really run (as opposed to the pretend run of two steps I did in the store and in my bedroom.) Grrrr. I had to cinch it around my waist. If I could have handled wearing it there, I'd LOVE this pack. It didn't jounce or slosh. However, I don't really have much of a natural waist and I am uncomfortable in the extreme having something high up on my stomach.

My review may have been a mere "Meh" instead of a decided "Bleck" if I hadn't had an even more tender tummy than usual on Wednesday. Have you ever cooked Jiffy Pop? Well, then you can imagine my stomach after about mile two. Sore, swelling tummy met unforgivably tight belt - no matter how I kept loosening it. I seriously considered slinging the stupid pack over one shoulder like a bandolier just to get home.

I tried to make myself try it again on a "better" day but I couldn't do it. I was so freaking irritated by having to mess with that thing that it will probably be months before I'm willing to hassle with it again. Is it so demanding of me to want to run & stay hydrated without having to tug and fuss? Probably. I'm not sure that any hydration belt/pack would have worked for me that day. Camelbaks are too hot and I can't see that Fuel Belts would have ridden any better. I'm quite sour and discouraged about the whole hydration situation. Luckily (or should I say hopefully?) I don't think I'll have to worry about it during the race. I expect there to be plenty of liquids on the course!

For our other short run this week, we just carried $2 and bought water at a little market on the route. We had a GREAT run that day. Today, John was our sherpa - biking ahead every two miles and handing out water or Gatorade Endurance or gels. He ROCKS! I had a rough mile 6 and 7 and did the math wrong about where he would be waiting for us. I was off by a quarter of a mile and when he wasn't where I expected him to be, I hit this sad, dark place. When we finally had him in sight, I was almost beside myself glad to see him. He had bottles in hand and started walking away from us to match our pace so we wouldn't have to stop to get to him, which was very thoughtful. Except when he started walking away from me before I could get to him, my heart plunged down to my toes. It was this wacked out emotional response, like he was leaving. Forever. I fought off tears and shouted, "Don't take another step!" I probably sounded like a mad woman, but I so very much needed to have him within reach. I tried to apologize but I must have been babbling because he gave me an odd smile. (I was much better after that. Long runs are weird.) He is a prince!

The Great Fuel Experiment
I know that everyone's taste buds and metabolisms are different but for what it's worth, here are the results of me trying every type of gel I could get my hands on this month.

Gu - my favorite overall. It was consistently the easiest to swallow, had a light flavor, and seemed to "work" quickly. I tried the Vanilla Bean (which tasted kind of chocolatey to me) and the Just Plain. The plain flavor ROCKS! I don't know that I would have been brave enough to try it on my own but Donna really liked it so I tested one too. Slightly sweet but really not much of anything to deal with either way. I want a case of these. And I want to try the Roctane (if they ever come out with flavors other than Blueberry/Pomegranate and Vanilla/Orange.)

Accel Gel - I wasn't sure what it was about this one that made a difference, but after reading some more I think it must be the protein. I felt GREAT after taking this at my halfway points and think this gel helped me get my recent negative splits. I tried the Key Lime flavor since I have so much strawberry everything else. It was a sickly neon color that might have made me change my mind about trying it had I any other options at that point. It was also slightly thicker and a bigger packet - so correspondingly harder to swallow. The light yet tart flavor was perfect though - especially on such a hot day. And I was less sore after the runs I had this gel. This one will definitely be one to keep putting in the bowl.

Carb BOOM! - Did NOT work for me. The Vanilla-Orange flavor tasted like baby aspirin (chalky aftertaste and all!) and this was the only new or even remotely unusual food I had eaten within 24 hours of the Jiffy Pop tummy issues. I still have an Apple-Cinnamon one in the bowl that already sounded slightly weird to me as a flavor but now will either go in the trash or to the first person who shows any interest in it. Bleck.

Cranksports e-Gel - I did not get a chance to try any of these but what I read about them makes me think they might work for me. Will keep looking for a way to buy a couple to try out.

PowerGel - The first one I had was the vanilla and OMG it was like eating cake frosting! I kept waiting to get sick to my stomach but I never did. I felt fine and had a decent run. Still, my first impression was, "Meh. Not on my repeat list." Then I forgot to take any fuel with me when I was traveling and Kroger's was my only source. The ONLY gel of any brand, any flavor they had was one six-pack box of Strawberry-Banana PowerGel. Surprisingly I liked this one better. It's another one for the bowl. The gel itself seemed thinner and the flavor was light. Not too banana-y. (You may have noticed that "light" is important to me, flavor-wise.) Also this one has caffeine - which is nice because most companies put their caffeine in the mocha or chocolate flavors, neither of which I can tolerate. Which brings us nicely to the end of the list.

Clif Shots - I wanted very much to like this gel! This is such a smart, innovative, conscientious company. I want to support them. I love their idea of a "litter leash" and the shot bloks are working so well for me! Sadly, my experience with Clif Shots was much like my experience with Luna Moons. I am (mostly) willing to give them a second chance. I'll keep looking around to find either the strawberry or vanilla flavor (though did I mention I'm sick of strawberry and vanilla?) Of the flavors I could find, Mocha seemed the best choice at the time. Mistake. So thick, so bitter, so ... gagly. Like smoked paste. Just...ugh.

I didn't try Hammer Gel since I've heard from a couple of people that you shouldn't mix it with other stuff. (At this point, I'm not willing to give up the things that are working for me like Shot Bloks and Gatorade Endurance just to spend (a lot) of money on a "complete line" of nutrition that may not even suit me. ) For the relative newbie that I am, this is a good enough start. I've got a couple that I know work for me. I've got two weeks until the half to think about and play around with which of those work best for me. And then I've got six weeks to tweak things around so they work in a triathlon setting. Phew. I'm done now.

Marketing Awry

I know I am not the world's most typical consumer. Half the time I don't even know what product a commercial is trying to sell. Jeans? A car? Oh, life insurance. I'm the kind of gal who was totally weirded out when they started putting mini-billboards in bathroom stalls. It would have never occurred to me to target a captive audience like that. While still not ad exec material, I seem to have gotten more used to gonzo marketing strategies. Sunday, I was only mildly startled and somewhat amused to discover I am now being marketed to from the bottom of the bins in the security line at the airport. (Probably won't surprise you if I admit I remembered the Zappos name but couldn't remember what they sold. I'm a fashion hound, can't you tell?)

<---Which brings me to my thoughts on this ad. Granted, this model has a lovely butt. Were it mine, I'd show it off too. However, I have to question the company's claim of "full cheek coverage" for these particular panties. Makes me wonder about their claims for other undies. (Also makes me wonder who could run in that outfit. Might as well wear a thong.) Which is all beside the point as I'm not even sort of considering that outfit. I'm looking for something for September's oly. I've tried on the race belt skirt and it is to die for cute. I want the trikini bottoms for underneath, but I need them not to ride up! Ladies, what do you think ... should I believe the claim (from a company whose definition of "coverage" is perhaps radically different from my own) that the grippers will hold these puppies down? Anyone have personal experience with this line? I LOVE that it was created by a professional triathlete. I WANT to believe the claims. But even more, I want not to have my tri-panties in a bunch come race day!


For "everyday" running (AKA plain running, no triathlon), here is the skirt I bought yesterday. Remember my Nike skirt? In addition to the bunching issues necessitating under armour, it has now shrunk. I met another gal who had the same thing happen to hers. She has switched and runs exclusively in New Balance Bonita skirts. She has four of them! I've seen her run in one. It looks darling on her. While she's smaller than I am, she's no skeleton. She's got strong, soccer player thighs. Here's hoping the NB Bonita works for me, too! When I first tried it on, I was a bit worried about the thin, almost unnoticeable waist band. It's very different from the wide, almost tummy support belt style of the Nike skirt I'm used to. I asked the sales lady if people had any trouble keeping the skirt up. She took one look at me and said, "Not if they get the right size skirt. That one's way too big for you." Huh. So I swapped the XL I had automatically picked up for a plain ole L. Lo, and behold...it fit perfectly! I love the slits in the front and the way it hangs. The "compression" shorts still don't feel particularly compressiony to me, but from the limited stretching and moving I was able to do in the dressing room, they don't seem to ride up.
I was all excited about my new smaller size until I got home. On reading the label, I discovered that while I'm considered a plain ole Large woman in places like the US, Kangaroo-a-Go-Go Land, and the Land of Micro Bikini's (explain that to me), in most other parts of the world I'm still considered "extra" big and in Japan I'm practically Godzilla sized. Sad. (Reminded me I have a cookbook of traditional Japanese recipes. Under serving size it says things like, "Serves 2-4 Americans or 4-8 Japanese." )



I have one more piece of new gear: a Muse hydration belt from Nathan Sports. Feedback on what people liked/disliked about their fuel belts helped me a lot. Here are some of the things that went into my consideration: I sweat more than the average bear. I am in general a thirsty girl and staying hydrated even when not training is a challenge for me. I think there's just not a comfortable way for me to carry ALL of the fluid with me for optimal hydration when I get to the point I'm running actual long runs. I'll probably have to find a way to re-fill my bottle(s) no matter what. Realizing this made it easier to think about comfort and not just volume. I had been tempted by the 6-bottle, 48 oz belt but it felt bulky and busy on my hips when empty! What I like about the Muse is that it is women specific and fits my hips well. I like only having one bottle to wash. (I'm lazy like that!) I like that it's lavender. (Superficial I know - but I like pretty!) I also like the way it's completely adjustable. I can wear it lower or higher depending on how my tummy is feeling at the moment and when I lose weight (eternally optimistic=me) I won't have to buy a smaller, new one. Also? It was $10 cheaper than the Fuel Belt brand.

I promise to report back on how the new gear performs under training conditions (as opposed to the not-so-rigorous conditions of swishing around delightedly in front of the mirror in my room.) Today is a swim day (natch) so that report will have to wait for later in the week. Happy training to all!

Shoes, Glorious Shoes!

After trying on TWELVE different types of shoes (and having the guy watch me run in all of them), I finally came home with the Brooks Glycerin. I know, I know - that was the shoe I should have gotten last time instead of the Asics so I could have walked in and out in five minutes. But the hour spent was worth it. I began to really be able to feel the difference in the amount of cushion, support bubbles, shaping, etc. I feel confident I got the exact right shoe for me this time.

We immediately headed over to the Bolin Creek Trail to test them out! The plan called for a 30 minute run with 4 x 20 second sprints with 1:40 Rest Intervals. I felt great. My knee did get a tiny bit twingey but I was able to stretch it out as I ran. I had some juice left at the end so sprinted to our "finish line" (and then walked for some cool down.) It was a fantastic run.
This, by the way, is a picture of our finish line. Our running path goes right by a community rose garden. Isn't it beautiful? On the other side of the hill is the playground (which can be seen in the second picture). Often there are families out and about and toddlers squealing with delight as they roll down that hill. I was going to take a picture of my favorite roses - the sterling silver tea roses which smell so sweet - but the blooms were all gone. Sorry not to be able to share those with you but it was hard to stay sad as there were literally hundreds of other blossoms.

You may have noticed that flowers have a bizarrely motivational effect on me. I'm not a gardener at all, but I completely have flowers on the brain. The first thing I thought when I tried on the Brooks shoes was, "That is the exact shade of my sister's Gerber daisies. My shoes look like flowers." (I probably spent all that time trying on other shoes to mask the fact that I was buying shoes based on their resemblance to pretty daisies!) Silly or not, I love my new shoes. Let's hear it for Flower Power!

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good (New Pace, New Hills, New Friend):
We rode almost the race distance in less than our goal time over a course with rolling hills and wind. We upped the pace, went longer, in moderately challenging circumstances - and I felt great! I was tired by the end but it was a good morning on the bike. I found out afterwards that our peak speed was 32 mph which tops my previous record of 27 mph. I feel more confident on Vivian than ever before.

We also stopped and helped a fellow cyclist who'd blown a tube on his first ride on his new bike. His name was Charlie. We shook hands and I asked him if people drove him crazy saying, "Wake Up Charlie. We're going to Candy Mountain Charlie." He laughed and said, "It's a land of joy and light...and joyness."
After waving goodbye to our new pal Charlie, Donna and I spent the rest of the ride saying things like "Shunnnnnnnnnnn" and "It's a magical leopluridon" to each other and cracking up. Ahhh, it takes so little to amuse us.

The Bad (Blowout > Wipeout?):
The ride had actually started off craptastically. On the first hill in the first quarter mile, I heard, "SSSSHHHK. SSSSSHHHHK." Then I heard (and felt), "BOOM!" My back tube exploded. That was unnerving. Have I mentioned my PTSD and sudden, loud noises? I'm impressed that I didn't eat concrete. I had to wait a minute for my hands to stop shaking before I could get my wheel off. If you look at the charts above you can see my heart rate spike from being startled before it drops while I change my tire. Not fun - but good practice (again) changing tires. Better now than race day, I tell myself in the vain hope that it might somehow magically prevent raceday mishaps! (Don't you think this picture of the three inch split in my tube looks like it's laughing at me??)

The Ugly (Sunscreen Works Better When Applied!):
Stupid, stupid, stupid head!! I have sunscreen. In my bike bag. I just forgot to put it on my body. Have I mentioned I come from a Scottish/Irish family of redheads and fair skin? Grrrrrrrrrrr. I was in pretty bad shape by noon when we started our run.

Speaking of the run... I so very much wanted to be able to put the run in the "Good" category today but I can't. The sun was zapping me, the transition was rough, I had to take walk breaks, and the negative voices surfaced to say all kinds of horrible things. I was struggling on all levels - physical, mental, emotional to get through it. Now, I do give myself credit for fighting against and purging some of the critical voices, for moving forward when I wanted to stop, and for choosing the world's best partner. Donna talked me through the roughest part, was encouraging and empathetic, and somehow knew exactly when to run on and let me keep slogging. Where I gained new confidence on the bike, I lost confidence on my run. The run seems to be getting harder. I don't know if that's because I'm making progress in the other two sports or what. I'm trying to "Re-rax" as John tells me in his best Scooby-Doo voice. Intellectually I know that I have time, that the training plan from Runner's World will get me ready for the half-marathon in SF, that it dovetails nicely with the Tri-TP for the Oly in Pacific Grove, and that it takes going through some ugly workouts in training to get to good race days. But still I worry. Gah.

The Bonus Brag:
We found the 2007 Blue Seventy Reaction wetsuits on sale for $161 (down from $275)!! This wetsuit got good write ups for an entry level suit (at full price!) and having tried it on, we know it fits well (enough) through the hips and boobs. You should have seen us in the tiny room with plastic baggies on our feet, wiggling and squiggling, trying to get these suckers on. Donna took one look at herself and flat out declared she would never wear hers in public. (I waggled my eyebrows at her and asked her if that meant she'd be wearing it in private around the house - which made her laugh and also hit me.) They are ridiculous. But hopefully less so in 60 degree water on the morning of the race! Did I mention we saved $114 each?

Almost As Good As Bullet Points

Non-Training Related (Pictures of Our Dogs):
This is my cute dog, Wasabi. He's a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. (Picture should be clickable for an even closer up view of His Fluffiness.)











This is a picture of my other cute dog. She's a Redbone Coonhound puppy named Tallulah Rockstar. She's way bigger now, but I love this picture of her.









She's sort of crazy and obsessed with her tennis ball. This is a picture of her sleeping - with the tennis ball IN her mouth - and her tongue hanging out. (Clickable for full sized craziness.)

Before you ask, I do not run with my dogs ever. EVER. Because I am a terrible dog mom. And they are INSANE on a leash. Seriously. We need professional help when it comes to walking. Running is not going to happen with out intervention of the whispering kind.


Training Related (Warning: Much Lower Cute Factor):
The Shoe Switcheroo: A few days before boot camp (July '86) I went to a store for real runners. There I unquestioningly plunked down a ridiculous amount of money for the shoes the sales guy told me to buy. Usually one to challenge the norm and ask annoying questions beginning with the word "why" - I was uncharacteristically silent on that shopping trip. (Maybe I was getting a jump start on the "yessir" mentality?) Therefore, I have no idea why the guy chose Saucony Jazz shoes for me. However - they got me through boot camp so they couldn't be half bad, now could they? Adventurous soul that I am when it comes to fitness, I continued to buy the same Saucony Jazz running shoe (Generation nth) until this February. After 22 years of sporadic running with small issues like sore shins and toes that fall asleep, I wondered if (perhaps) I should branch out and switch up shoes. I took myself to Fleet Feet and got my feet professionally measured, knees marked, and stride assessed. I tried on lots of different shoes. ("Lots" being four pairs. That was four times the number I'd ever tried on before.) I narrowed it down to two pairs which both felt fine (but what do I know?!) - Asics (Gel-Landreth) and Brooks (Glycerin? Like the soap? Who names these things??) I went with the Asics because they were $15 cheaper. I liked them for about a week. After that it felt like I had no support. Sure they were light weight but then again, so are my bare feet! It won't hurt my feelings if I can chalk this new knee pain up to my shoes! I had already decided I did NOT want another pair of them - even before I had any pain. What I haven't decided is what to do next time! Should I go back to the Saucony's (and deal with known, minor toe/shin issues), try the Brooks (which turn out to be the shoe that my partner Donna has worn for years with no problem), or start all over with a re-fit and trying on new brands? I have plenty of time to worry obsessively think rationally about this issue. I can't afford new shoes until next month. (And sadly, I have nowhere near 300 miles on the Asics.)

ITB's and Me: I read lots of blogs. ("Lots" here being way more than four. In fact, "lots" here meaning way more than I want to admit in public.) I've read a frightening number of posts about injuries and issues with things like tarsals, acl's, mcl's, pcl's, neuromas, itb's, etc. Some people (not that I'm naming names or anything, Southbay Girl) even post pictures - which is cool to many (most) yet disturbing to some (me). I read a lot of these things with my hands over my eyes while singing "la la la" to myself because frankly, it totally squicks me out. Perhaps my way of reading is not the best if the goal is comprehension. I did know the itb had something to do with knees and red foam rollers (thanks to glamour girls like IMAble and IronGeekGirl). But not having read their injury posts carefully (la la la) and not believing I could end up with a normal, running-induced, knee issue (really, I'm much more likely to splash through a puddle of toxic slime and later discover some green, pus-filled weirdness on my ankle - LA LA LA!) it didn't occur to me to wonder if I even had itb's that could get hurt! I feel almost like a hardcore chica, now. If it weren't for the, you know, pain and difficulty running, I could almost enjoy being part of the club. As it is, though, I quit. I won't let it hold me back. I'll wear the old shoes and throw in some walk breaks and stretching. I may even smash it with a BRICK. (We have a 2 hour ride and a 45 minute run on the TP for tomorrow. Will report back on who smashed whom.)

Friends Who Have Lost Their Minds: In case you haven't seen it, RBR has gone and done it! She's signed up for a half. A HALF IRON - that is!! Not only that, but she's thrown it out there - the whole enchilada in 2009. Wowzers. Go RBR Go!

Friends Who Are Racing This Weekend: Shirley's tackling the revenge monster in the Gulf, Southbay Girl is hitting her first trail race, and Stef is kicking it in Hurricane, Utah at the St. George Oly. Good luck pals! Race hard, stay safe, and write us some killer race reports, ok?

Bits And Pieces

My bits and pieces are sore after my bike ride. When exactly does that benefit from "time in the saddle" kick in? (Clearly I am NOT there yet!) But that's not the whole reason for today's title. The true reason for the (lame) title is that I don't have an actual theme or even semi-cohesive plan for today's post. So...bullets of randomness it is!

• I forgot someone the other day when I was listing buddies on deck for upcoming competitions. I just realized today that Shirley Perly is racing this Saturday, too. She's doing the Derby! Go Shirley Go! (Derby Day was always a big deal in our house because my sister was one of those horsey types. First of May meant big hats and Mint Juleps. Mmmmmm. I love Mint Juleps. Wonder if they drink those when people run in Kentucky or if it's just for the horses. Note to self: ask Shirley.)
  
• Thank you Thea for my absolutely favorite new word: ironmongery! I am a word magpie. I hoard collect words, argue about them, mangle their pronunciations, use them incorrectly, polish them, and in general, love the bejeezus out of them. Bling is fun but IRONMONGERY is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay mo' better. Do you think I have to be especially or chiefly British to get to use it myself? If I do turn out to be UK enough (hey, Scottish, Welsh, English, and Irish ancestors - surely I pass!) and I also happen to get brave enough to say this marvelous word out loud, do I say it this way or this way? 'Cause dude, I don't think I can say it the second way without laughing.
  
• Did you see the estimates for this week's Powerball? (Slight digression to follow - I live with a Math Geek who is constantly pointing out what our mileage or training time is divisable by. We celebrate Pi Day. During the incredible saga of trying from 500 miles away to buy an affordable house with room for eight people and dogs, within walking distance to the schools we needed - Donna freaked out the world's most amazing realtor by commenting that the street address of a property we were looking at was divisible by 3, 6, AND 9. Robbie whipped her head around and asked in a panicky voice, "Is that a requirement? Or is that bad?" After we stopped laughing, we managed to reassure her that we'd live at 123 Sesame Street or even 666 Crowley Way if she could please just get us enough bedrooms zoned where we needed to be!) Anyhoo, 144 is one of Donna's favorite numbers to comment on ("It has a shitload of factors!" she said this morning) and it's got the whole dozen dozen thing going for it. Wouldn't it be fun to win a gross of millions of dollars?! Not only that sports fans - but the cash value is the 1/2 Iron mileage! (Bet y'all saw that part first, didn't you?) It's destiny! It's fate! Some triathlete needs to be the winner of that jackpot! I don't want to be a pusher or anything but go buy a ticket! (Here it is typed with subliminal backmasking - Ickybu A Goet. Or is that Pig Latin? No, Pig Latin would be more like - Ogay Ubay A Icketay, wouldn't it?) Ok fine, whatever. But if you're not going to buy your own ticket, would you root for me to win it? If I win, I promise to pay the entry fee for any triathlete I know who would join me doing this one. (But like, not until 2013 or something because I've already told you guys what a crock pot I am!)
  
• Still finangling the Garmin stuff. I've made progress but don't have a chart to post for you because a) I have a Mac and that makes the computer end of things a bit stranger (even though I got advice about this from Rainmaker) and b) I rode on the trainer so my elevation chart would look like this anyway "_______________________". Woo hoo! I do have heart rate stuff but I can't get it out of my Garmin and into my Mac (=Veronica.) Soon! Thanks for all the Garmin love comments. Fun times.
  

That's all the bits and pieces for now my friends. I think I've used up my quota of bullets and hyperlinks for the day. Happy training and tapering (and traveling!) to all y'all.

The Universe's Delivery System

Remember back when I was waiting for the universe to fill my order for squillions of dollars so I could buy cool triathlon gear? I'm still waiting for the moola, but - and this is an exciting but - I got some cool new gear without even having any money!

The universe decided to use the Richard vector to deliver into my hot little hands a Garmin Forerunner 301. Richard is a long time friend of John's who became family, first by becoming our daughter's godfather and then by becoming an uncle when the rest of the kids laid claim to him. He didn't put up much fuss. I think he got a kick out of it when they used to jump around like fleas screaming "Uncle Richard is here! Uncle Richard is here!" (They're bigger and somewhat more lethargic fleas now, being teenagers and all, but they still love to climb and hang on Uncle Richard - as you can see from these pix of Richard's recent visit. I am posting two pictures of the crew because as usual with our "party sized" family, it was hard to capture a decent picture of everyone in one frame. My minimum standards of decency are not stringent! Is it too much to ask for a non-silly smile and no mug shot faces? Apparently, yes, it is too much to ask!! Anyway Richard is in the center, John is to the back right, the kids are clustered around, the dogs are out of view at everyone's feet wanting attention, and I think Donna must still have been at work.)
While he was here, Richard and I got to talking about triathlon. He lived in San Diego during the birth of triathlon and did several of the local ones there at the time (Carlsbad - or was that a ride? and maybe Coronado? - I'm a little iffy on those details). We did the ole "my how things have changed" routine and I ended up waxing poetic (or maybe just interminable) about all the nifty gear like tri-specific wetsuits, disc wheels, aero bars, and heart rate monitors with GPS that is around these days.

A few days later I got an email that said:

I tend to not give gifts for "special days". I prefer to give them when there is the "perfect storm". Usually that requires a casual conversation followed by an equally casual event that combine and result in a "that would be perfect for ...". In this case it was you.

Guess what, that just occurred.

In the pile of mail I got when I got back from Pittsburgh (I was home 1 day between visiting all of you in NC before leaving for 4 days in Pittsburgh) there was a flier from Costco. One of the specials was for a Garmin 301. Enjoy it. I am hoping it will ship on Monday.
-Richard

Wow! How much fun is that?!! I immediately sent him a thank you note (that was more like a thank you novel which will not surprise anyone who reads this blog or has me for a commenter on their blog.) I promised I would post one of those coolie-cool elevation chart/heart rate graphs from a workout as soon as possible. Of course that means that not only do I have to figure out the software, but I must first run or bike somewhere with some elevation changes and wear my new Garmin while doing so. Okaaaay.

Actually I've encountered a few, minor difficulties getting set up. I started to say that I haven't managed to get my resting heart rate much less my max heart rate, but my issues started even before that hurdle. The first step was to charge "the unit" (which, if said with waggling eyebrows, could mean something else entirely) and I could NOT figure out from the instructions how to do this. Being a good little girl, I tried RTFM first. The manual was written by monkeys. Robot monkeys. Martian robot monkeys. I finally stopped reading and employed John's method of randomly pushing buttons and plugging shit in until it worked. (There is a cord which plugs into the Garmin and also into an adapter which itself plugs into another adapter which finally plugs the whole mess into the wall!!)

After three days, I am still in the fixing to get ready to get started phase of training with my Garmin. I need some superhero chant to bring my mad geek skills to the fore. Didn't you used to love it when Isis would raise her arms and intone, "Oh, zephyr winds which blow on high, lift me now so I can fly!" I thought that was awesome*. But the only thing I can think of is "Oh Garmin new which came in the mail, synch yourself so I can ...flail?" That's not so helpful!! I'm close though. In a few more days I am sure I'll have some charty goodness for you. (And I'll say it again: Thank you Richard, thank you Universe - for my Garmin!)

Training wise - had a teeny, little 500 yard swim today and a slow-ass 30 minute run yesterday. Looking forward to tomorrow's bike to be better! I'm proud that I've done my workouts but I want some pep, man! This week I'm thinking of my buddies who are tapering and preparing for races - Willie (OKC Memorial Marathon), Southbay Girl and Maryland Girl (Country Music Half Marathon), and IM Able (NJ Devilman Half Iron next weekend). Go buddies go!

*A final note to RBR: I love it when you use the word 'awesome'!!

Peace out.

Soliciting Gear Advice

I love traveling and I love gizmos. I want bazillions of dollars - mostly so I can afford to go to exotic places and try out all kinds of cool gear. Sadly, my squillions of greenbacks have not yet arrived. I'm sure it's just a temporary glitch in the universe's delivery system. But until the uni gets the kinks worked out - I'm stuck drooling over travelogues for pictures and combing through training/race reports for hints about the best deals on the most necessary training gear. Thought I'd turn to my peeps for some help because you guys keep coming up with things I hadn't considered. (Thanks for all the suggestions but especially to SWTri gal for the thought that my pain the other day might be an ovarian cyst. I had those when I was a teenager but I wasn't remotely athletic then. Definitely something I'll ask about!)

So. Gear. Next up on the "must have" list is a wetsuit. The water in Pacific Grove is cold. Any thoughts on renting vs buying? Any tips on what to consider? Any advice at all? My only experience with wetsuits is for scuba and that's a whole different world from tri! I've always had trouble though with scuba wetsuits that zip up the back because they press against my throat and make me miserable if I'm the least bit queasy - which is most of the time I dive. Also I can't tell from websites which ones are less likely to make me look like a black rubber beach ball. The models are all skinny girls! Anyone love theirs? Hate theirs? Notice which brand seems to be sported by the curvier gals like myself? Any tidbits thrown to me will help my rising panic over this issue.

Second solicitation - gotta have a Garmin? (Less panic on this one, more drool.) I hear about these buggers all the time! I want one. Oh how I LONG for one. But it would be easier if I knew enough about them to decide specifically which one I should pine for! The options seem to be a series for runners or a series designed for cyclists. Which one do triathletes use the most?? I know some of you have them - what do you like best? Why? Anything you don't like? Any features you'd skip?

Happy training! I'm enjoying my recovery day and surprisingly looking forward to my "long" workouts with an hour and a half ride on the docket for Saturday and a half hour run for Sunday. Good luck to all y'all racing this weekend!

Gear Up: My Nike Running Skirt

I have wanted a running skirt for two years now. I first saw one during the 2006 Country Music Half Marathon. The girl I saw (as she blew by me wearing a black skirt with white stripes down the side) looked sassy and comfortable - AND she was my size. Not a wee, thigh-less thing.

I LOVE my Sugoi biking skirt - to the point that on the 450 mile ride from Central Vermont to Montreal back through upstate NY to VT again, I washed it out every night and wore it every single day. LOVE it. I expected to love my new Nike running skirt to the same degree. Meh. My Nike running skirt is... okay. It fits well, is exactly the right length and is comfortably cute. The negative - and it's pretty much of a deal breaking negative for me - is that the built-in "compression" shorts ride up. Seriously ride up. That leads to chafing on anything longer than a 30 minute run. It also makes me look ridiculous as I attempt to tug them down modestly on the trail. In the dressing room I didn't notice that the inner shorts weren't tight or think about the fact that they didn't have that sticky band at the bottom cuff the way my biking shorts do. I've never had to worry about clothing being too loose on my thighs before!! (Never!!) On cold days when I've worn my long Pearl Izumi tights underneath my running skirt, I haven't had a problem. I've thought about wearing my Under Armour compression shorts but it seems like too much bother and layering just to have a skirt on top. Bah. Does anyone have a running skirt they love? I saw a cute - very, very pink (RBR have you seen it?) - running skirt at Target that I coveted. It seemed to be more spandexy and less supertech loose, wick fabricky. Maybe I'll try that one and see if it's a matter of fabric/fit/cut or if it's an issue of just plain having mutant thighs.
So that's my two on running skirts.
I've got a swim on my books today after yesterday's rest day and Wednesday's surprisingly strong brick - 30 min ride, 15 min run. Happy training y'all. (And did you see Candace Parker play the other night?!! She ROCKS! Damn she's tough. Can't wait for Sunday's game!)