Training Update

The Northern Columbia Tri is next Sunday!
Since I didn't post my training plan (as I said I would), I'll give you a training update from the past week.

Week totals from Friday 7.25 thru Friday 7.31:
Swim: 1x for 30 minutes
Bike: 3x's for 178 minutes and 39.46 miles
Run: 2x's for 52.12 minutes and 4.75 miles.

I also logged 80 minutes of walking this week.

Some of the week's highlights:

Last Saturday I went out to Canaan and checked out the course. The swim will be beautiful. It's a small lake and seems quite nice. Much of the bike course is flat and some downhill. There are a few hills to climb, but none are bigger than the Krumkill hills I've been training on. So as I pulled up to the identified Bike/run transition area I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Then, I started driving the run course. Keep in mind 2 facts: I am a slow runner, and 4.5 miles is a long run for me. Even on a good day. The run is 4.5 miles long, and I'm pretty sure that 4.3 miles of it is uphill. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

SO, what's a girl to do? After I got over that "I think I'm going to puke" feeling, I came home and ran hill repeats. And, then I did a brick work out. And today, I'll run the hills on Krumkill road. The same ones that I've used to get ready for the bike leg.

Peace.

Who Would've Guessed...

I'm really not a corporate kinda girl. But I seem to have found a place that's a good fit for me. 'Cause here I go...

I am the new TBI Program Manager for my office!

August 9th is the Day!

I did it! I finally chose a Triathlon! I registered tonight!

It's a Sprint Distance.

.25 mile swim in a lake
19.8 mile bike
4.5 mile run.

Yes...you read that right. 4.5 mile run. Not the customary 3.1 miles for a Sprint. Hmmm. What was I thinking?

Here's the link: http://www.northerncolumbiatriathlon.com/

I'm so excited, I can't sleep. And, it's almost 1AM.

Training plan details for the next 2 weeks will be discussed soon.

Peace.

Things that Make me Happy: Part 2

Here's the continuation of my list:

21. An early morning walk with my dog.
22. The first snow storm of the year.
23. Lightning bugs
24. Getting great seats at a sold out movie.
25, New running shoes
26. spending time with my sister.
27. A new book.
28. Running into an old friend.
29. cuddling up with the cat.
30. Hearing my Dad laugh.
31. The smell of fresh cut wood.
32. Finding a bike path to explore.
33. Sticking my toes in the ocean for the first time each year.
34. Swimming in Pecks Lake.
35. A hot fudge sundae with Reese's pieces.
36. The smell of a child's hair after a bath.
37. Reading with Mackenzie and Jack.
38. Lilac bushes.
39. Sunflowers.
40. Watching a butterfly dance across the lawn.

A free give-away!

Check out this blog:http://windchasers.blogspot.com/
Felicia makes beautiful jewelry, and she's giving this necklace away as a celebration to mark her one year anniversary in the blogging world.

One of the things I love about her blog, is that she is so darn positive! Go to her blog and she has simple instructions for how you can enter to win!

More from Texas

I have a few more pictures to share from Texas.

First, the 1981 Fuji Mixte that Doohickie found and fixed up! This is the bike I took on our 35 mile ride Saturday morning.

The funny thing about this picture is this: in my home, I keep my bike in the exact same spot as this one. And, it drives both of our spouses crazy that Doohickie and I bring our bikes into the living room. I am luckier than Doohickie, because I also have one in my bedroom, which Mrs. Doohickie has banned from occurring in her home.

On Friday we went to the Fort Worth Zoo. This is a picture of Mackenzie with her two oldest cousins.
One of my cousins joined us at the zoo with her two adorable little ones. However, out of respect for their privacy, I am not posting a photo of them. It was wonderful to see them, and I'm thankful they were willing to make the 2 hour ride down for the day.

Kenz was really looking forward to doing Legos with her big cousins. They graciously obliged and spent a great deal of time building things with her.




Finally, the Doohickie family has a cat. Apparently this cat does not like to be touched or bothered by most people.

Mackenzie appears to be the exception to that rule!

It was a great trip, although much too short.

A Brief Trip

Mack and I are in Texas for 6 days. We are visiting Doohickie and my sister PennyCandy. Doohickie had a spare bike waiting for me, so I got to go on a club ride with him. Check out his blog for some photos!

We went to the stockyards on Sunday, where Kenz saw some real cowboys.




More photos will follow, once we're home in chilly NY!

Thinking Positive: A List

This is sort of a morphed version of a recent blog from http://windchasers.blogspot.com/, where she started to develop a "Bucket list". I like that idea, and I'm sure I'll do a version of it in the future.

But for now, I'm feeling like it's a good time to reflect on some of the best things in life. So, my goal is to list 100 things that make me happy.

Here's the start (I doubt I'll get 100 all in one sitting)

Things That Make Me Happy:

1. Watching a thunderstorm roll across the sky
2. Hearing the uncontrolled giggles of my children.
3. Watching Jack learn to swim.
4. Listening to Mackenzie read to Jack.
5. A heartfelt conversation with Shayna.
6. Camping in the Adirondacks...even if it rains.
7. Spending an afternoon at the Clark Art Institute.
8. Hiking to the Top of Mount Sleeping Beauty.
9. Painted toenails.
10. Holding hands with Kevin.
11. Cheering Mackenzie on as she caught her first fish.
12. Shahi Paneer.
13. Sharing Shahi Paneer with shayna.
14. Sharing a bottle of Wolf Blass Chardonnay with friends.
15. Taking a walk with Kevin.
16. Birthday cake!
17. My moms Strawberry upside down cake.
18. Kevin playing the saxophone
19. A long bike ride by myself.
20. A long bike ride by myself on a Saturday morning, while every one else is asleep.

Okay-That's 20! Maybe I'll do 20 at a time.

Does any one else have a list?

Re-Evaluating Goals

As I've mentioned before, my big Tri goal for this year has been to compete in the Fronhofers Olympic Tri. I'm taking a realistic look at where I'm at with training for it, and what it will take to finish the race. At this time, I have to concede that I don't think I'm ready.

Here's the deal: The Fronhofers race is on August 2. The didstances are:
a 1640.42 yard swim,
24.85 mile bike,
and a 6.21 mile run.

I'm not there. Not even close. Okay, I can push the the swim. And the bike distance isn't an issue, but I understand there are some serious hills on the course, along with a time cut-off. But,it's the run that'll kill me! I can not get off the bike and do a 10k. Not yet, anyway. And definately not without walking.

So, "what's the new plan?" you ask.

Well, thans for asking. And since you asked, I'll share my new plan with you! There is a Crystal Cove Sprint Tri on August 29.
http://www.cdtriclub.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=cb626f0a0cfb901f05103a9f2d3810ef&page=Crystal%20Lake%20Race

Crystal Cove is in Averill Park, and the bike course actually goes past my parents road.


Here are the distances:
Swim .5 miles (That's about 900 yards)
Bike 18 miles
Run 5K

The bike course is still incredibly hilly. But the swim and run are half the distance of the other race. I already swim that distance in training, so now I can work on getting faster. Running after a bike ride is always painful, but I can run a stand alone 5k now. This gives me time to get stronger and faster at it.
So, this will be my first ever- official Triathlon.

This will be the race that allows me to claim "I'm a Triathlete!"
-Peace!