whoops! I forgot I had a blog!

My, my, how the year has flown by!  I had intentions of writing a race report for all the races that I've done this year, but now I think I may just do an overview of the last eight months.  It's been so crazy busy for me with school, training, and life in general!  I'm not complaining at all, life is awesome.

So starting the year off, mine and Derek's first race was the Pasadena RnR half.  Derek's best friend died about a month before and we didn't train properly for that last few weeks.  We both ran in honor of Nate.  The 1/2 was great for about the first nine miles, I was on pace to go sub 1:40 but the wheels fell off and I imploded!  I ended up running a 1:47, but it was the most miserable last couple of miles I have ever run!  It sucked!  Derek fell apart around mile 8 and ended up just under two hours.  We were happy to be finished that day.  We then went to Vegas for a long weekend to drink, shop, and gamble! 

view @ the Wynn

 

 

next up we did the Big Rock Tri out a Lake Perris.  I highly recommend this race.  It's small, well organized and well-run.  This particular race day was really foggy in the AM and once you were about 50 yards out on the swim you couldn't see anything!  People were swimming in every direction and it was totally chaotic!  I ended up being the 1st OA female!  My first OA win, it was pretty awesome.  



Love my Betty kit!  Looks awesome and is comfy!

 

 In May we went to Maui for some relaxation!  Derek was the most amazing husband ever and got us the same suite we spent our honeymoon in.  It has the most amazing view of Black Rock.  He practically has to drag me out of the room everyday to get me off one of the patios.  We swam, ran, and paddle boarded almost every day.    Other than that we drank, ate, and laid by the pool or on the beach.  Pretty much a perfect vacation in my eyes. 

view from the suite. 

My dad, me, and Derek

another one of the view.

 

July came Vineman 70.3!  My favorite race of the year, a full race report will follow.  Vineman will always have a special place in my heart.  I had a course PR by 5 minutes and had so much fun this year.  I will say that I was way better trained than I have been in the past and never really had the "what the hell am I doing" moment this time around.  We stayed a few days after for wine tasting and shopping!  Two of my other favorite things. 

 

Vineman race start for Derek!

 

 

That's pretty much the year in a nutshell.  Right now I'm working on speed for the Pacific Grove Tri in September (two shorts weeks away).  I really want to break the 30-34 course record of 59:09 that was set in 2000.  Last year I did it in 1:01:19.  So this year I need to shave off a little more than two minutes!  I can do it!  After PG Derek and I will be back to run the Big Sur Half in November, not sure if I'm going to go for the sub 1:40 again or pace Mary to her first ever sub 2.  Either way it will be fun!  I'm also super excited about the Big Sur half because the ladies from my lulu running group, Pink Lemonade will all be there and I'll finally get to meet some of my crazy lulu fanatics! 

Leopard Sharks in Catalina!

 

My favorite triathlon things

It's been a little slow on the training front lately.  Since around Thanksgiving I've had an awful cold, laryngitis, and then the flu.  Trust me it's hasn't been the best the last few weeks!  But I'm finally on the mend and feel well enough to start running again, albeit a little slower but running nonetheless.  It's been damn cold too, for me anything below 50 is cold to run in and I must have about 10 layers of clothes on (which inevitably get peeled off) I tend to look like this.

I know it's a bit excessive, but I hate being cold!

 

Anyway back to the purpose of this post.  Here are a few of my favorite triathlon related items in no particular order:

 

Skratch Labs: 

 

This is the best tasting drink mix I've ever had!  It is really light and fresh tasting and leaves very little to no after taste.  My favorite is the Lemon/Lime flavor but they all taste really yummy.  It even still tastes good after it's warm from being in the sun on the back of my bike.  Most performance drink mixes taste too salty, or too sweet and this one is just right!

 

Scape Sunscreen

 

Thanks to Scape my skin has not turned to leather and I will not look like Magda from "There's Something About Mary"  Derek and I have been using Scape for about three years and I don't think I've been sun burnt in that time.  This stuff stays on and does not come off, even if you sweat, swim, etc.  I use this on all training rides, runs and events.  One application before Vineman last summer and I didn't get burned at all on the ride/run.  Plus is doesn't leave you sticky and weird smelling. 

 

IRT Wheels

 

I love me some IRT!  Derek and I both ride the i585C combo, and love them!  They are super responsive, smooth, fast and durable.  Plus it's a smaller local company and I love being able to call and talk to Ray the owner if I have any questions.  Their customer service is amazing and they really do whatever they have to to take care of their athletes. 

 

Betty Designs

 

Oh, Betty how I love thee!  This is probably my most favorite thing!  Kristin aka "Betty" makes the sickest most amazing cycling and triathlon apparel out there.  I hate pretty  much 99% of women's cycling apparel because who wants to wear something that doesn't fit right and is covered in stupid flowers?  Betty Designs has awesome colors, cool designs and is edgy yet girly at the same time.  I've always loved skulls so it was a match made in heaven when I saw her logo is a skull and butterfly!  I'm hoping that this year my Christmas is going to be a BD Christmas since pretty much my entire list was made up of her kits, swim suits, visors and well everything on her website!

What women wouldn't want to wear this while riding her bike?

http://www.bettydesigns.com/products/the-betty-cycle-bib-short

 

Lululemon:

 

I've been a luluaddict for years!  And pretty much only workout in their stuff  (other than on the bike).  I'm also sad to say that I wear lulu stuff pretty much every day but I figure that I'm going to wear comfy stretchy pants as long as I can!  One day very soon my work life will be filled with dress slacks and heels, ugh.  Lululemon fits amazing, breathes really well and most important makes you look cute while running, working out etc. 

 

Happy Holidays! 



Goals for 2013!

 The site of so many training days. 

Hmm, where to start.  Derek and I have had a nice bit of time off.  We've relaxed, taken a few drives in the Ferrari, went to Santa Barbara and just enjoyed a few weeks of not having to train all the time.  Oh, and studying.  Lots and lots of studying!  Derek bought my professional machine for me and I am learning to become one with it.  It's my second best friend, after Derek!

Max is jealous of "El Machino" he sits and stares at me.

All good things do come to an end and winter training is starting. I'm actually really looking forward to it.  It has been like summer in November so far, and I love my 70 degree days.  If it could always be 70-80 and sunny that would be my perfect!  Derek has been wishing for cold, and I think he's totally crazy!  He'll get "California cold" when we move to Sac next year, but until then I am enjoying every second of warm winter.  One day I'll actually need that Betty Designs long sleeve jersey, but until then I'm happy in short sleeves.

sunset in Santa Barbara. A perfect summer in November day!

 

Thanksgiving was awesome.  We stayed home and had prime rib with all the fixings, and wine.  Lots of wine!   Derek and I did manage to get in a nice ride early on in the day with a lot of climbing. I figured I needed to do something to earn that extra glass, or bottle of wine. Max didn't get to eat any of the scraps after last years fiasco where we made him super sick! Poor guy really wanted a prime rib bone too.   A look at the table before the carnage.



 

We did manage to get in a nice ride early on in the day with lots of climbing.  I figured I totally earned that extra glass, or bottle of wine.  Max didn't get to eat any of the scraps after last years fiasco where we made him super sick!  Poor guy really wanted a prime rib bone too.

 

So for 2013 I have applied to be a part of the Wattie Ink Elite Team, and I have all fingers and toes crossed that I get picked!  It would be an amazing opportunity and experience.  I only raced twice in 2012 and I really hope that doesn't ruin my chances because 2013 is going to be an awesome year full of swim, bike, run.  Next years schedule is below.  Since we will be moving to Sacramento next summer/fall some races will be added or subtracted I'm just not sure which ones yet.  Vineman will be the A race next year and I'm looking forward to it.  There is so much time to get my speed to what I know I am capable of.  It's time to put in the work!   

 

February Pasadena Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon with a goal to run under 1:35

March 9 Solvang Century Ride with Derek's collegues from LLBS

April 13 Big Rock Olympic Triathlon @ Lake Perris

May 11 Bonelli Olympic

June 13 Bonelli Olympic

July Vineman 70.3

September The Triathlon at Pacific Grove; Olympic on Sat and Sprint on Sunday

September 70.3 Worlds (if I qualify @ Vineman)

October/November either Augusta 70.3 or Austin 70.3 (TBD)

 

 

 



Pacific Grove Triathlon Weekend

Geez, I've been sitting on this post for far too long! 

The weekend after Labor Day Derek and I traveled north to Pacific Grove, right next to Monterey, for the Triathlon at Pacific Grove.  We were doing the Olympic distance relay with my aunts and uncles on Saturday, and the sprint Distance on Sunday.  Friday we drove up, got all settled into our house right on Asilomar Beach and went to dinner with everyone.  Chris and Pete drove down from Reno, Jim and Diane came from Fresno, and my mom, our cheerleader, came from Ripon.  We had a really nice dinner at Il Veccio and drank a little too much wine!  But I figured I was only doing a swim the next day so what's wrong with a little pre-race wine!

Saturday

We were up and early for race morning, even though our wave went off at 9:45.  Pete was super excited and wanted to get down to the race start early.  We sent him on his way and had a leisurely time getting ready.  Finally around 9 we arrived at the race site, and it was a gorgeous day!  I found out where I needed to run after getting out of the water, squeezed my happy little butt into my wetsuit and wend down to the swim start.  Holy crap, the water in Monterey Bay is cold!!!  58 degrees, and apparently that is warm.  When my wave started I got right in front and held onto some feet for the first half of the lap until the kelp got too thick and I got entangled.  I didn't think that swimming through kelp would be that bad until I was doing it.  Overall the swim went well, a little slow but I wasn't trying for a PR and the kelp really held me up.  I was the second female out of the water for the relays, and handed my chip off to Diane who was doing the bike leg, and Chris was doing the run, we started off with a 12 minute lead on the men  but ultimately lost.  Jim and Derek kicked the ladies butts on the bike and run!  Derek can finally rub it in that he beat me at a race!

Me, Derek, Pete, and Chris watching the bike portion

The ladies relay team!

All of us on Sunday! 

We hung around the until the race was over and then went to a little English Pub for dinner, which included more drinking!  Apparently I don't believe in not drinking before a race and being on your feet all day!  Once back to our beach house we did walk on the beach and go to bed pretty early. 

RACE DAY!

I was up early and ate my breakfast of Corn Flakes, banana and peanut butter.  We loaded up and road the mile to the race start.  It was a gorgeous morning and was actually warm for Monterey standards.  The water looked like a lake, not a ripple to be seen.  Derek, Chris, Pete and I were all doing the sprint.  I was able to watch Derek's swim start and finish.  He started pretty close to the back and was one of the first out of the water, I have no idea how he did it!  He swam an 8:15, which was good enough for 8th in his AG in the swim!  Chris and I watched Pete take off, and then it was my turn. 

Swim 6:29 1st AG

When the gun went off I ran my butt off and was out in front with one other girl, she was going at a great pace so I decided to follow her feet/bubbles the entire swim (thank you whoever you were).   I just hoped that she was swimming straight.  The swim felt really good and really the only time we slowed down was when swimming through slower swimmers.  I remember thinking that she might be my only competition in the race.  Until we got back to the beach and she just kind of stood up and slowly walked out of the water.  I ran right by her and onto the timing mat.  So even though I technically followed her on the swim I ended up with the fastest time! 

T1 3:57
I have no idea how this time is even possible because I ran all the way to my transition area, tore my wetsuit off, put my shoes/helmet on and was out of T1 before anyone else on my rack even got there.  I never passed another girl in my AG on the bike either. 

Bike 35.45 avg 20.9mph
The bike course winds along Ocean Ave. from Lovers Point to the start of 17 mile dive, it's a beautiful course, if you take the time to pay attention to it!  I, of course, wanted to extend my lead as much as possible and put the hammer down as soon as I was on my bike.  I figured I was going to be the hunted one since I was the first out of the water.  Right away I had a small issue, my bike computer was not working!  So I had to ride on feel, and hope I was going as fast as I thought I was.   I passed a lot of people on the 2 laps and was only passed by a few men on my first lap as they were on their second.  Overall I felt really strong and fast on the bike, but probably could have pushed harder.  A plus is that it wasn't nearly as cold this year as it was two years ago when we did this race. That year I remember not being able to feel my hands, face, or feet halfway through the first lap. I passed Pete on his second lap about a mile from transition and I saw Chris going out on her first lap right around there too, she started a wave or two after I did.  They both looked really good and were doing great!  It's both of their second ever triathlons!

T2 1:57
I was in and out fast, but I did take about 20-30 seconds longer than I would have liked because my fingers were cold and it was hard to tie my shoes!

Run 13:17 avg 6:38
Once out of transition I ran hard the entire way.  It's a two loop course so it goes by really, really fast.  At one point I passed an older gentleman who said that I was making the run look easy.  That is always nice to hear in a race.  That two miles hurt a little bit, but I feel that I could have ran it a bit faster.  I wasn't totally spent at the end which leads me to believe that I could have gone harder the entire time.  I ended up finishing in 1:01:19 which is 5 minutes faster than '10, but not the hour I was gunning for.  I was 1st in my AG and 3rd OA female.  The two girls who finished in front of me are 17, and 18, and are both possible future Olympians!  If I was going to choose who I'd be beaten by, then who better than two teenagers who may be in the 2016 Olympics! 

I got a sweet medal this time!

With my mom

Derek and I showing off our sweet IRT wheels!

Derek finished in 1:06:30 and 11th in his AG, a personal high for him!  He did point out that he beat me in transition, but to my credit his rack was way closer to the in/out than mine was.  But I'll let him have that little prize anyway.  This is such a fun race and we will certainly be back next year to do it again, as will the rest of the family!  We finished the day by heading out to the Highlands Inn and having lunch overlooking the water, which is always fabulous!  The Highlands is one of my favorite places in the world and has such a special meaning to Derek and I.  We had such a wonderful weekend and I cannot wait to do it again next year!

 

with my love

Vineman 70.3 Race Report

Another 70.3 into my little personal record book!  I love this race and cannot wait to do it again next year!  It is quickly becoming my favorite race, and I'm trying to convince Derek that we need to make it an annual event.  It's a gorgeous, challenging course, and your in the wine and foodie mecca of CA!  What's not to like?  This year we really wanted to go wine tasting and float down the Russian River (after the race of course!)

We left on Friday morning to drive up to Ripon to break up the long drive from Pasadena to Sonoma and get a little family time in along the way.  As always it's good to see family and have a visit.  One day soon we will be living back in Northern CA and I can't wait!  On Saturday morning we were up early, did our shake-out ride/run and were on the road to Sonoma.  As usual, I was a little slow getting ready and we were on the road later than Derek wanted to be.  Once there we checked into our cottage and went to the race expo.  I will say that the expo a bit disappointing, there were far fewer vendors this year.  We had to sit through the 30 minute video presentation on the course, and I'm curious to know how many people crashed on the right hand turn onto Sunset after we were told multiple times to be careful there! 

We went to Kin for dinner, it's an awesome little restaurant in downtown Windsor.  Love the sweet potato tater tots!  We were back in our room early to get everything ready and go to bed early and for the first time ever I slept really well the night before a race!  That never happens!  I'm usually lucky to get a few hours of sleep. 

Race Morning:

The alarm had us up at 5:30!  It was almost like sleeping in! For pre-race breakfast I ate 2 big bowls of Corn Flakes with whole milk, a banana and 1 packet of honey peanut butter on the banana.  Normally I don't want to eat in the A.M. on race day, but today was different, I was hungry! It was cold and foggy early but started to clear up once we arrived at Johnson's Beach.  Vineman is a point to point event and I think that T1 and T2 are separated by 15 miles or so.  Basically you only bring what you need.  I wasn't nervous at all, that is until Derek's wave went off, which was about a half hour before mine, his @ 7:50 and mine at 8:22.  My goal of the day was to try to catch and pass him but I knew that I had my work cut out for me.

Swim:  30:03 14th AG

I was able to get in the water a couple minutes early and get a decent warm up in.  I loved my 2xu wetsuit, I can't remember the style but it was sleeveless and awesome!  The water was a balmy 72.  It's a floating start and I took my place front and center.  So when the gun went off I was able to get out in front and find feet to follow.  For a tri start it was really mild and I never was touched or man-handled the entire swim.   I was in the midst of a pack of about 6-7 girls who were swimming well, but just a little slower than I would have liked.  I couldn't force my way through them because they were swimming shoulder to shoulder and I thought it would have taken too much time to go around them.  At the turn around I was able to get through the pack and saw a girl about 15 yards ahead of me, I swam hard to get on her feet and followed her all the way into T1.  Gotta love not having to sight at all, I just trusted her that we were swimming straight.  Overall I'm happy with my swim, I wanted to go under 30 minutes.  I missed it by 4 measly seconds, but I'll take it.  Derek ended up swimming 43:03 which for him is better than last year, but slower than he is capable and he's a bit disappointed in his swim and said he could have swam a lot faster.

Bike:  2:57 29th AG

Since my wave was one of the last to go off it meant that the course was full!  I love this bike course because it's super pretty going through all the vineyards, but it's pretty much either uphill or downhill, nothing if flat!  Right out of T1 the road was packed!  The first few miles were the worst and it was hard to make totally legal passes without drafting, but eventually around mile 35ish it cleared up a bit, but then got clogged up again at Chalk Hill.  I passed a lot of people over the 56 miles but passing legally made it really hard to get in a rhythm.  I'd have to soft pedal a bit behind a line of people and then surge to get past all of them.  I felt really strong the entire way through and probably could have pushed harder, but ever since my incident with the "bee" two weeks ago I've become a little more timid on the bike.  Again at Chalk Hill I thought, "is that it?"  It's a nasty little hill but not as bad as it's made out to be.  I did follow a girl for about 20 miles and we just passed and repassed each other.   Finally I lost her on the descent coming down CH.  I picked it up heading into town but apparently I was not going as fast as I would have liked or thought!  I'm pretty happy with my bike time, but my goal was to go under 2:50 and I know that I am capable of doing that on this course.  I really think that my little accident a few weeks ago made overly cautious.  I averaged around 19mph on a tough course and improved 7 minutes from last year.   Derek and I both rode on IRT Wheels for the first time in a race and I must say I loved them! They were awesome! I like having something that is different than all the Zipps you see. It's a smaller company based out of SoCal and they have a great product, loved it. 

My trusty steed with IRT wheels, before we left.

Not race day, but this was my race outfit.  Love Betty Designs!

Nutrition;  I pretty much ate the entire time on the bike!  I was a moving buffet.  I had 2 apple cinnamon Honeystinger bars (180 cal. each), 2 packets of orange blossom Honeystinger engery chews (160 cal. each), 3 Salt Stick salt tabs, 3 bottles of Skratch Labs lemon/lime mix (80 cal. each), and 1 bottle of water (total 920 cal).    I was not going to make the same mistake as last year where I was starving for the entire run!  I've discovered that I need to eat a lot on the bike to have sufficient energy to run afterwards.

FOOD!  Yea, I ate pretty much all of that on race day

Derek's bike was another frustrating ride.  Last year he lost a contact and he literally cannot see without contacts, and this year his aerobars came loose on a descent and tilted dramatically down!  He said he almost went over the front but was able to save it!  Disaster averted!  Once he was able to get the bars in a semi-correct position he was able to ride again but couldn't stay in the aero position on any descent for fear of going over the front.  Apparently, when the bike shop installed his new aero bars etc. they should have put a carbon compound between them and the stem, which they didn't! 

T2/Run:  1:58

My AG had a much better rack placement this year as opposed to last.  I was lucky enough to be in the first 3 racks this year and didn't have to run all the way to the back.  I was in and out in a hurry!

My legs felt really good coming right off the bike and I was ready to run.  I think a lot of that has to do with my new fit, it really has made a difference.  I didn't have dead, heavy legs for the first mile or so.  I realized at the mile one marker/aid station that I forgot to start my Garmin, oops!  Not really sure what I went out the first mile at, but it felt like low 8s? It was pretty hot  and I made sure to get lots of water at every aid station, one to drink and 2 to pour on myself.  Usually I do not do well in heat and I really wanted to do my best to stay cool.  I was able to keep my pace in the high 8s and low 9s.  The hills around mile four are the worst and my pace crept closer to 9:30 but I did my best to recover on the downhills.  My HR was good and I was able to keep it in the 160 range for most of the course.  I had a high point around mile 6 I saw Derek as I was entering the vineyards at La Crema Winery and there was a misting tent!  I was so excited to see both!  Derek looked good and I knew that I needed to turn it on if I was going to catch him (he was about 1.5-2 miles ahead).  The loop through the vineyards hurt!  All of a sudden there was no breeze and it was HOT with no water/ice to dump all over myself in sight.  This year we made a right out of the vineyard to the turnaround point and I saw Derek again this time he was about a mile ahead of me.   I was catching him but I knew that time was running out.  My right hip flexor started hurting around what I thought was mile 8 but was really mile 9 (not starting the Garmin had me all confused, I couldn't do basic math), but I just pushed through.  I was not slowing down, I had to catch my husband!  The last few miles I was able to get down to the low 8min/mile pace but I didn't have anything left.  I was tired and ready to stop moving.   I was also in no-mans-land as far as girls from my AG, all the fast girls out in front so I didn't see or pass but one or two girls from my AG the entire run unless you count the girl who had "26" on her calf that passed me in the finish chute but turned out to be in my AG Turns out Derek was able to hold me off and finished 7 minutes before I did.  I did negative split the run course, so I'm really happy with that!


Overall 5:33:33 27th AG.  A new PR for me!  Derek finished in 5:57:57, and I'm really proud of him.  He did great and it was so nice to have him standing on the finishing line waiting for me.  I'm pretty happy with my performance at this race.  I know that I could have done better and have a much faster 70.3 in me, but I did the best I could with what I had to work with on race day.  I know that taking 6 weeks off from running and only being able to run the last month of training is not ideal, but out of my control.  Next year I will do better! 


My parents were at the finish too!  It was nice to have someone there to cheer you on.  I love that they drove all that way to see us.   We went to dinner in downtown Healdsburg and the Healdsburg Bar and Grill, which was so yummy!  Derek was in beer heaven and I swear that was one of the best martinis I've had in a long time.  Plus we had chorizo corn dogs, talk about fat dipped in fat and then deep fryed in fat!  Pure heaven.  We stayed several days after the race to go wine tasting, shopping, etc.  But I'll save all that for another post, this one has gone on far too long!  Sorry I don't have many pictures, I forgot the camera pretty much every day.

Just a few of our wine country purchases!

In front of our favorite winery!

Here is the link to my official race pictures, I will warn you they are bad! But then again I don't think anyone ever likes theirs.

http://www2.brightroom.com/email/98176/2045/139261673

Where does the time go?

It's been a busy month.  Derek and I went and watched the last stage of the Tour of California in downtown L.A. (our old stomping grounds).  It was really cool to see all the pros and watch them, they are incredibly fast!   We rode the train from our house in Pasadena to downtown, which was nice that we didn't have to drive.  The day was really hot, but we had a lot of fun.  I forgot my camera and had to resort to crappy iPhone pics, sorry. 

I got 3 in the frame!

We also had family come visit us over Memorial Day weekend, which is always nice!  We hardly ever get visitors so it was fun to go out to dinner, eat way too much, drink, shop and do family stuff.  Unfortunately, we ended up taking the weekend off of training and only got in one long run.  Oops, but family is important. 

Breakfast from Marstons, good but so not healthy.

The last few weeks have been great on the Swim, bike, run front.  We've been logging lots of miles on the River Trail, Rose Bowl and pool.  The last 2 Sundays we got a late start and didn't finish our rides until noon, and had long runs off the bike after which were somewhat miserable because of the heat.  Plus where we run off the bike is on a black, asphalt path with absolutely no shade, not optimal.  I don't sweat that much and the heat really bothers me, but I was able to maintain 8:30 miles for a 6 mile run in the heat, which made me feel a lot better especially due to my calf.  I just hope that Vineman isn't hot this year, I'm one of the last waves to go (8:22 start time) so it could potentially be really, really hot on the run.  Or with all the hot runs Derek and I have done lately, I'll be ready for the heat!  I did get this snazzy little thing from TP Therapy cool point, I've only used it on one run so far so I'm not quite sure if it works or not.  It seemed to help, but the verdict is out still.

Derek and I both had Retul fittings done recently with Julian Franco of Franco Bicycles  Julian is the nicest guy and has made me so much more comfortable on my bike!  What a difference.  My fit was way off and I was sitting way too far forward on my seat.  Both Derek and I are already averaging 2-3 mph faster without even trying!  I feel so much stronger and faster on my bike.  My next road bike will probably be one of theirs too.  They basically will build you whatever you want!   You get to pick everything instead of buying a bike and then having to re-buy every component to make it exactly what you want.  I think Derek is already planning his out and will probably give me a wish list on the day I pass the CSR! 

I was so excited last weekend when an IM race in Lake Tahoe was announced.  We went back and forth and couldn't decide if we wanted to do it.  Well, it turns out we waited too long and it's sold out, poop!  So we're going to volunteer and do it the next year.  Hopefully by that time we'll also be living back in Sacramento and will be able to go up and train on the course.    I'm a bit disappointed but I guess it wasn't meant to be!

Ok enough of my ramblings.  Derek and I are off to Pismo this weekend for a little vacation!

It’s been a busy week! And I’m starting to realize I need to keep better track of how many miles I’ve ridden, swam, and ran.  I think last week I rode 160-180ish miles on the bike and swam an undetermined length in the pool.  Plus school is really kicking my @ss! I'm getting frustrated because I'm so close to passing into the next speed group, and I keep missing it by one or two errors. What other school considers a 97.5% a fail? It's crazy how high the standard is, but I totally understand. I will get there and pass a test soon. Then I'll be at the bottom of the heap again, to claw my way back out. Ah, the joys of court reporting school. 

Loot from the farmers market next to the house.

Last Sunday Derek and I went on another long ride on the SGRT.  The last 20 miles or so were through a really sketchy area, so we did our best to hammer it to the turnaround point and back.  There are little underpasses that go underneath the road, and it smelled so bad in some of them!  I could only think of the nasty crap I was riding through and not to fall down!  Derek has been having little run-ins with squirrels!  He has nearly ended the life of two on the bike.  Poor little guys run out and he misses them by mere inches, Derek almost went down on one because he locked up his brakes!  On Thursday Derek left work early, which he never ever does, to go ride 40 miles on the river trail.  We only made it a little over 20.  The wind was crazy!  I literally was giving it everything that I had and could only keep 17-18 mph.  The wind was just brutal.  We decided to turn around and call it a day.  There is one part where the path turns and we got a nasty cross wind, it was so hard to keep my bike upright!  I don’t even have high profile wheels either, and know I would have had a hell of a time to stay up if I did.  Maybe that is a little taste of what Kona is like; I’ll keep that in mind if I ever make it there.

Derek getting ready before the crazy, windy ride.

I still haven’t been able to run and my PT says that I have Peroneal Tendinitis, which sucks!  So, there has been lots of ART, stretching, rolling and ice around here. Thankfully he said I’m good to cycle and swim.  I’d go stir crazy if I couldn’t.  A new thing is that I’m going to start swimming with the Rose Bowl masters team.  For some reason when swimming on my own I’ve been getting bored and finding myself half-assign it. Which is weird, but I really think it’s because I don’t have someone to chase or someone behind me.  My first workout with them will be this coming Thursday, and I’m excited!  I haven’t swum in a structured team setting in years.  I just don’t want to be last, which I probably won’t be, but I still have that irrational fear.   

Sunday is the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California at L.A. Live.  Derek and I are going to ride the metro to our old stomping grounds (we used to live 3 blocks from L.A. Live) and watch the finish.  We’ve been watching the stages every day, and so far it’s been such a great race.  I was so excited yesterday when Sylvain Georges won the stage after being in the breakaway for 184km!  Riders in the breakaway hardly ever succeed in staying away and winning, but this guy did!  He held off the wolves just long enough!  Tomorrow will be a crazy, busy day because we have to get a long ride and swim in before heading to watch the race.  I think there is a super early morning in my future!