I'm ready to get this done

I'm about ready for this triathlon to just go ahead and get here.  It would have been absolutely perfect if this race were timed just about 2 weeks earlier.  Not to say that I'm not excited.  I am.  But I'm ready to be done with training already.  I'm more than ready to put away my swim cap and bike helmet for the season.  They've served me well, but I could do without them until next summer.

It's different with running.  While I certainly have my ups and downs with running, I never just decide I'm "done for the season."  Running is always and will always be here, as long as I have any say in it.  With swimming and cycling, I'm definitely starting to get that feeling.  Yesterday I went for a swim in Green Lake and just didn't have the mental capacity to go longer than 20 minutes (probably a little over a half mile...I forgot my watch).  I just couldn't help but think, I don't want to be doing this right now.

The novelty of tri training has kind of worn off, and I'm realizing that it's really time consuming, tiring, and very mentally tough.  I've definitely enjoyed everything (well, almost everything) up until this point, and I couldn't be happier with the way I spent my summer.  But summer is now over and I'm ready for tri training to be over too.

However, I've only been feeling this way since I started going back to school this week.  It probably has a lot to do with the fact that it is simply time to start putting all my focus into my new job adventure, and trying to experience two separate adventures at once is becoming a little overwhelming.

That said, I've really enjoyed all of the training I've been doing this summer.  I've learned a ton about myself as a cyclist.  Especially in the past couple weeks, as I've been attending a once a week spin class (at Beautiful Bike in Fremont, check it out).  The instructor has been incredibly helpful with advice on form, breathing, and how to climb hills on the bike.  I'm feeling stronger than ever.  In fact, in the last class, he reminded me to just "enjoy how fit you are."  No one's ever really told me to do that before.  I'm strong right now, and instead of stressing about worries for the race, I should be enjoying all this work I've done and the end result.

So, while I sit here snuggling with Lucy and basking in the glory of my fitness, let me tell you about two very enjoyable bike rides I had this week.  They were enjoyable for entirely opposing reasons, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

She's being extra snuggly right now because there's a
mostly packed suitcase in the bedroom.  She dislikes that
very much.

1)  The "Aussie Style" Brick.  I'm not really sure where this name comes from or why, but that's what Ironman Jason called it, so I'm going with it.  Before I explain, let me tell you about Magnolia (if you've followed the blog since the beginning, this is a much different description of Magnolia than was put forth when describing my Boxcar days).  Magnolia is a very hilly, large peninsula on the west side of Seattle.  It is a beautiful neighborhood, parts of which overlook the Sound and include a large, tucked away park that feels like it could be out in the middle of nowhere, not in a large city.  Back when I lived in Magnolia, I had lots of running loops throughout the neighborhood, the longest of which was a 5.5 mile loop that skirted the bluff, was one of my favorite runs, and still is to this day.

There's also a similar bike loop through the neighborhood, which if you follow the path that Ironman Jason and I did, is exactly 7.8 miles and includes 846 feet of elevation gain.  If you go counterclockwise around the loop, you have a couple short, steep climbs, and a good amount of downhill relief.  Clockwise means the opposite: long, slow climbs and short steep downhills.  As Jason put it: counterclockwise is a strengthening ride and clockwise is an endurance ride.  Both good and both challenging in their own rights.

On Monday morning, Ironman Jason and I parked over in Magnolia with bike gear and running shoes in tow, ready to attack the most challenging brick workout I've ever done (really the only one, aside from some 15 minute runs after a bike ride or some post swim runs).  Jason's car was our "transition" area between legs of the workout.

So here's the gist of the "Aussie Style" brick we did:
1)  3 bike loops (counterclockwise) = 23.3 miles, 2,385 feet of elevation gain, in 1 hour 31 mins.
2)  10 min run = 1.14 miles @ 8:36 pace
3)  2 bike loops (clockwise) = 15.9 miles, 1,878 feet of elevation gain, in 1 hour 8 mins
4)  20 min run = 2.02 miles @ 9:03 pace
5)  1 bike loop (counterclockwise) = 7.8 miles, 846 feet elevation gain, 33 mins
6)  30 min run = 3.22 miles @ 8:34 pace

Total time: 4.5 hours
Total bike miles: 47
Total run miles: 6.38

This workout was the most mentally and physically challenging thing I've done since my last marathon (although it doesn't come close to how mentally challenging that marathon was).  The first 3 loops on the bike felt great.  As hilly as Magnolia is, I ride it often and sincerely enjoy it.  After that though, on the first run, my hip kept seizing up from the transition, and I didn't really feel all that good.  It seemed to mostly fade by the end though, and I crossed my finger it wouldn't come back for the next 2 runs.

On the middle bike leg, I got tired of slow hill climbs very quick and decided in the first loop that I like the counterclockwise loop MUCH better than clockwise.  It felt like the hills never ended and I didn't get that much recovery time on the downhills because they were so short.  Plus, I'm still not really comfortable with steep downhills on the bike.  I get visions of tumbling headfirst with a disastrous end.

For the middle, 20 minute run my legs felt a lot better, but for some reason we decided to head off in a direction that took us on a 200 foot climb up for a mile and then we turned around and ran back down.  We ran the second mile a full minute faster than the first.

On the last loop on the bike, I believe there was a point where I told Jason that I was "about ready to kill him" for making me do this, or something to that extent.  My legs were shot and we still had a 30 minute run ahead of us.  But we finished on a downhill, so that was somewhat redeeming.

The last run was tough.  We went 15 minutes out, and both of us were exhausted.  It felt like those were the longest 15 minutes I'd experience in quite a while (although yesterday's swim seemed pretty similar now that I think about it).  On the way back as our legs warmed up and got used to the running though, we started to pick up speed.  Jason kept spouting off how much faster our current mile was than our last, and I think we were both pretty surprised at the paces we kept at the end of this long, tough workout.

4.5 hours in, I'd say an 8:16 final mile with another speedy burst at the
end is something to be proud of.  I'm sure there was an element of
"I just want to be done" that motivated the speed.

At the end of this workout, I felt the ultimate endurance athlete high.  The "holy crap that was hard but now I feel amazing!" high.  I was exhausted and my knees hated me for the rest of the day and the day after, but I felt more reassured than I ever had about this triathlon thing.  It gave me the mental boost I needed to tell myself that maybe I actually can complete this race.

2)  Flat and easy on the Burke.  The next amazing ride that I had was 2 days later.  I wanted to get out and spin my legs as they continued to recover from the brick workout, so I chose to do a flat out and back from my apartment down to the Burke-Gilman trail (there's still a fairly significant climb to get back up the hill home, but everything else is flat).  I wanted to spend a long day at work, so I woke up early enough to give Lucy her morning walk and be on the bike and out the door by 8 am.  

On the Burke at 8 am, the only bikers out there are commuters heading towards the city, which was the opposite direction from where I was going.  The temperature was perfect and the sky was clear.  With all the angst I'd been feeling at my new job, it was just the peaceful, calm, quiet ride that I needed.  I rode 10 miles out to Matthews Beach and decided that I could gift myself a little bit of extra time and venture down to the actual beach.

As I rolled in, there was literally one other person there, an old man reading a newspaper on a bench.  It seemed classically surreal.  Matthews Beach is usually crowded with activity and people, especially on a beautiful summer day.  But here, at 9 am on a Wednesday morning, it was almost deserted.  I found a post to prop my bike, took a picture, and proceeded to sit there, doing nothing but just be there, for about 25 minutes.

Nothing but blue sky and ducks with their feathery butts in the air as they
reached deep in the water for breakfast.  And crows taking baths.  It kind of
made even those black little creepers seem endearing.

For what seemed like the first time in the last couple weeks, I sat there feeling calm, devoid of the inner dialogue that constantly plagues me.  It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.  Eventually I had to get up and head home again to face the rest of the day, but I carried the calmness with me for the 10 miles back home and even kept it for a few hours in the classroom as I decided that I would finish up what I could that day, and then not allow myself to go into work the next day--calling it my last "official" day of summer.

While this ride was entirely different from my brick workout on Monday, it excited me and rejuvenated me in almost the same way.  At the end, I felt accomplished and ready to take on whatever came next.

So here's what's next: I have a week of professional development days ahead, Labor Day weekend (including HLM's birthday celebrations!), and then it's back to school for the little ones.  I still have 3 more weeks of training to fit in there somewhere, and it seems like there's all too much on my calendar in the coming weeks.

But tomorrow morning, I'm going to finish packing that mostly-packed suitcase that is turning Lucy into a nervous snuggle-muffin right now, put it in the car, and drive up to Whistler to watch Ironman Canada.  This will be the first Ironman I've ever seen in person, and there are a few people I know doing it.  I'll also be spectating with Ironman Joe and Ironman MacKenzie, so I'm excited for a fun weekend away.  It's the only non-staycation vacation I've taken this summer, and I think it'll do me good to step out of real life, if only for a couple days.

I'm also hoping, that by watching this race, my excitement, motivation, and inspiration for doing my half-Iron will be renewed.  It is timed perfectly just 3 weeks before my race as I'm hitting my "I'm done with training" slump.

And maybe I'll come back with some great stories to tell you.

Happy end of summer.

I'm back

I haven't written in a while.  I am completely aware of this fact, and it's been gnawing at me for quite some time.  I'm not going to apologize for my lack of blogging (I mean, really, I don't think anyone out there anxiously holds their breath from one blog post to another), but I do have an explanation for it.

I've thought about writing, but every time I think about trying, it's seemed more like a chore than something I actually wanted to do.  And blogging is something I do because it relaxes me and eases my busy mind.  I'm not going to turn it into a homework project that I feel like "needs" to be done.  I don't want to write something just because I feel like I must.  It would probably turn out crappy anyways because there would be no heart behind it.

I've also been taking a writing class and spending much of my "blogging time" actually working on homework assignments, trying to pretend that I'm a real writer that can write fiction and stuff.  It's been a challenge and fun and has given me a lot to think about in regards to what I want to accomplish in the world of writing (and perhaps even publishing...eek).

And then there's this: in the past couple of weeks I feel like I've been experiencing an extreme range of emotions I haven't experienced in quite some time.  And when I sit to think about spilling my current life updates onto an internet page, I've been slightly worried about just what exactly might come pouring out.  So ignoring it has been a bit of an escape.  I've sat down at the computer quite often in my free time lately, but instead of typing in my blogger address as I typically would, I've found myself typing "netflix.com" much more often (if you haven't watched Orange is the New Black yet, YOU ARE MISSING OUT).

So upon further thought, I've come to the conclusion that the best way to explain to you how life has been for the past 2 (almost 3) weeks and get this blog thing on a roll again is to walk you through what I've been experiencing, emotion by emotion.

Here's what I've been feeling...

Joy.  It's good to start on a positive note, right?  I've had a lot of reasons to celebrate joy in the past couple of weeks.  Most of them having to do with friends.  Sounders games, happy hours, trips to the zoo, fun swimming at the park, birthday parties (both karaoke and bunny-themed), reading in the sunshine, and Lucy time.  There has been a lot of laughter, a lot of good times, and a lot of fun.

I am happy to announce that I've multiplied the number
of times I've ever sung karaoke by 5 this summer (it was
1 and now is 5).  I don't know if the rest of the world is
happy about that.

How can you not be filled with joy when you are at a
birthday party surrounded by 17 of these little guys?  And
no, it was not a child's birthday.

Grief. Two kids of grief: Grief for a good friend of mine whose grandfather recently passed.  I was unable to attend services and wanted so badly to be there for her and her family, but I had to simply send my thoughts instead.  Also, on a slightly lighter note, grief for my old job.  On August 1st, I said goodbye to Lake Dolloff Elementary School for good.  As excited as I am to get rid of my 30 mile commute, making this transition has been incredibly hard for me.  I'm going to miss my work-home a great deal.  I already do.

The list of reasons why I love this place would make for a
very very long blog post.  And it would involve a lot of teacher
talk, which would bore most of you.

Gratitude.  I have the most amazingly, overwhelmingly generous friends and family.  After walking into my new classroom for the first time a week and a half ago, I realized that I did not have a carpet for my whole class learning area.  I've been wanting a carpet from Lakeshore that I had in NYC when I taught there (a rectangle carpet with 30 squares on it so each kid can have their own square to be in--amazing for classroom management/seating in the carpet area), so I decided to post a request on Donorschoose.org to see if I could get it funded.  Within a day of posting my plea on Facebook with the link to my page, the carpet was fully funded and then some.  HUGE thanks to Yanni, Erica, Ana, Nadine, Aunt Judy, and mom and dad.  All the funds combined were $175 more than what I needed, so I'm going to wait until the school year gets going to see what other materials and supplies I'm going to need.  I'm already thinking about a new set of classroom books for my little kiddos. I always knew that my friends and family were generous people, but I was blown away by the quick and generous response to this request for my little first graders.  You guys are amazing.  *You can see my Donors Choose page here: http://www.donorschoose.org/tessakaplan and keep an eye out for my next project to post!

Inadequacy.  While my triathlon training has been going really well, I've felt a great deal of inadequacy here.  I feel like I simply can't fit in all the workouts, and when I do, I just don't know if I'm doing well enough.  I still don't feel 100% comfortable on the bike and my arms are always tired when I swim.  That said, I am doing everything I can and giving it my all when I get out there.  Here's a snapshot of my training log for the past couple weeks.  The white section is what I should be doing, the colored box below is what I actually did.  I have been switching this up some (flip flopping a run for a swim on some days, and doing my long bike rides on Mondays instead of Fridays), so that's why it doesn't always match up.  The weekly totals are on the right-hand side.

I've been averaging 2 swims, 3 bikes, and 2-3 runs per week.  I wanted to get 3 of each in, but life outside of training exists, so that's been tough.

Pride.  Aside from the above feelings of inadequacy, I am actually very proud of all the training I've been doing.  Since my go-to training buddy Ironman Jason got a part-time summer job, I've been doing the vast majority of this training on my own.  I've been rocking my spin classes lately, getting myself to the pool and/or lake as often as I can, and doing a lot of biking fearlessly on my own.  Even if I haven't been able to fit everything I wanted to in, I still feel like I'm well prepared for my race, which is just a short month away.  No matter how the race goes, I'm proud of how much work I've put into it.

Biking may not be my favorite, but I'm still out there doing it and
enjoying it (most of the time).  I'm proud of that.

Overwhelmth.  I realize that's not a word, but what's the noun for feeling overwhelmed?  I've started attempting to move into my new classroom, and have been faced with a lot of stress and difficulties in doing so.  I tried to move in twice before actually being able to, due to the teacher who was in the classroom before me (who is going on leave for a year) being extremely reluctant to take all of her things out of the classroom (that's an understatement).  I've shed many tears over the situation, and for those of you who know me well, you know I'm not a crier.  At least I didn't used to be--I'm starting to feel like that's changing slightly.  Anyways, it wasn't until today, Sunday, that I actually got to go in and spend 5 hours just working on putting my room together and not dealing with the hassles of what this teacher has been putting me through (although 2 of those 5 hours were spent boxing up her stuff).  I now have 4 days before I officially have to go back to school for training days--you know, the days I'm actually paid for--and I'm feeling a time crunch to get set up that I didn't have any intention of facing this year.  Without this added difficulty, I would have spent the past week and a half setting up and wouldn't be worried about it now.  Aside from this teacher though, everyone else in the new school has been extremely supportive, kind, and welcoming, especially my new principal, office manager, and custodian.  It seems as though once this situation is behind us, this is going to be a great community to be a part of.

Excitement.  So, this is happening:

I'm a coach!!

After completing 5 marathon seasons with Team in Training where I served roles as mentor and captain several times, they actually decided to trust me to train other people to be crazy like me!  I will be coaching Spring season for the Whidbey Island Marathon and Half and the Nike Women's DC Half Marathon.  I am excited beyond belief for this season to get underway in November.  I have had so many inspirational coaches during my seasons with the Team, and I am ecstatic to be able to help others the way that I've been helped in the past.  I'm also working with an amazing group of coaches (including running buddy/coach Erica! Yay, we'll be on the same running schedule again!) that I know I will be able to learn a lot from.  This season is going to be a blast and thinking about it has been helping me get through the past week or so of work stress.  Go Team!

Fear.  So much fear.  Fear about doing this half-Iron distance triathlon.  Fear that I'm not trained enough.  Fear that I'll get a flat tire.  Fear that I'll die out like I did in my last marathon.  Fear of starting a new job.  Fear of the fact that I know things are going to be very different.

Fear of starting a job where I won't have these awesome ladies by my side
every day.

Fear that life might be tough, just for a little bit.  The every-year fear of facing a new class of little ones, not knowing what new challenges this year will bring.  Fear of being uncomfortable in my new position until I get to know my new colleagues.  And other fears too, but I think I've listed enough here.

Supported.  As many fears as I currently have, I know that I am surrounded by an amazing support system.  I mentioned the generosity of my friends and family above.  They are also my support system.  If I'm having a tough day, a good friend is just a phone call (actually, probably more like a text) away.  My running friends have also been incredibly supportive of my triathlon undertaking.  Ironman Jason has been helping me with my training, and everyone else never hesitates to say that they know I will rock it.  A cheer squad caravan is being organized on Facebook (thanks to Dorothy!) to come down and support me during the race.  And I also have my experienced race-day sherpa ready to go.  Thanks Ironman MacKenzie!  She also helped me for a couple hours in my classroom today, which was a huge relief in reducing set-up time anxiety.  And as I said above, all the new co-workers that I've met so far have been nothing but supportive, especially in dealing with the unfortunate classroom situation I'm in.  In all the tough moments no matter the circumstances, I never feel alone.  And of course, there's Lucy too.

Good days or tough ones, this little pup knows exactly what her mama needs.

Despite of the kaleidoscope of emotions I've been feeling in the past few weeks, the is one emotion I have NOT felt:

Regret.  I decided a long time ago that I had no intention of living my life with regrets.  Yes, I've made some tough decisions in the last 6 months or so, but I regret none of them.  I am excited for my race, as inadequate and nervous as I may feel at times.  I know that I made the right decision to take a new job this year, as difficult as the transition has been thus far.  I feel as though I've been on quite the roller coaster ride the past few weeks, but I regret none of it.  This is the path I have chosen for myself and I am happy with it.  It may not be super easy right now, but if it was I would probably be just as uneasy about things.  If you don't set some challenges before yourself every now and again, I don't think that you are fully living.  It is in the struggles that we show our strength and grow our happiness.

Here's to living.  And the fantastic array of emotions that go along with it.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

I've always loved that quote.  It made perfect sense to me at a very young age and still does.

Then Kelly Clarkson put it in a song, which I consider to be the anthem of my life:

And then the amazing staff and children at Seattle Children's Hospital put this together, which added a whole new element to it:

I bring this up because lately, I've been feeling pretty strong.  Both physically and emotionally.

I'm not trying to brag here.  There are certainly days when I don't feel strong.  In fact, sometimes there are days where all I want to do is curl up with Lucy and drink lots of wine.

Yes, I did take a selfie of me and Lucy snuggling.  I am not ashamed.

There are way fewer of the not-so-strong days for me now though than there have been in years past.  And when they happen, I let myself feel them.  Because no one can or should be expected to be strong all the time.

There are a couple of reasons why I've felt particularly strong lately.  Here comes a list:

1)  I ran a crappy marathon.  And I didn't let it bring me down.  Yes, there were a few moments during and after the marathon where I felt like I failed just a little.  But I didn't let them last long and I got past them quick.  I could have wallowed in the sorrow of an un-achieved goal, but I chose not to.  I saw it as pointless.  That day just wasn't my day.  Another day will be.

I tried to put my right hand over my heart as I crossed the
finish in honor of those injured in Boston.  You may
notice that's my left hand.  Marathon brain.
It's the thought that counts.  

2)  I got a new job.  It's not the act of getting the new job that makes me feel strong (although it's quite ego-boosting to get the job that you want).  It's the fact that I made the choice to get a new job that makes me feel strong.  I'm a girl who loves to feel comfortable, and I chose to leave my happy comfort behind to give myself a better quality of life.  Driving 30 miles (one way) to work each day did not make me happy, no matter how much I loved that school and that job.  As I slowly pack up my classroom this summer, I get scared thinking about the changes I will face come September.  But I feel strong enough to face those fears.  Because I chose to.

3)  I have my fight back.  After this past marathon, my biggest fear was that I had lost my fight.  This still worries me, but lately my legs have been feeling so strong that the worry is dwindling little by little.  I avoided running after the marathon, sticking to cycling, swimming, paddle boarding--basically anything active I could do that didn't involve running.  I ran with Erica 5 days after the marathon and felt my usual out of breath post-marathon self.  Two days after that, I did a 5 mile solo run and felt a little better but still not great.  But then, 3 days after that, I went for a hilly 6 mile run through Ballard and logged these splits:

It definitely didn't feel like I was going that fast.

The run felt amazing and my legs felt stronger than they have in a long time.  The hills felt like nothing.  However, despite how awesome I felt after the run, I felt like I didn't have to do that much fighting.  It felt too easy.  So then, this past Saturday, I tagged along with Fall Team practice (even though I'm not on that particular Team, I missed them!).  We did close to 10 miles, which included the Stone Ave hill from the bottom of Fremont back up to Green Lake at the tail end (a 200 ft steady climb over a mile and a quarter).  As we were running through the flat section on the Burke in the middle, I felt kind of tired and was worried about the impending hill.  But as soon as I hit the hill at the end, I chose to fight it.  I powered up it and my legs didn't let me down.  Instead of feeling heavier and heavier with each step, they seemed to feel lighter.  By the time I got to the top, I was certainly out of breath but I was surprised it was already over.  I had finally found my fight again.  I crossed my fingers that it wasn't a fluke reappearance.

4)  I'm feeling strong on the bike.  Last year, when I started cycling in early spring, I hadn't really ridden a bike much since I was a kid.  And the kind of cycling I was doing (training for the Seattle to Portland bike ride) was nothing like my enjoyable summertime childhood riding.  Those first couple months of cycling last spring were not my favorite.  I didn't feel strong on the bike, I dreaded hills, and my unmentionables hurt constantly (TMI? Oh well, it's a reality of cycling).  I eventually hit a point where I decided I liked cycling, but it took quite a while.  This summer has been very different.  It took me a little while to get settled in on my first ride, but I quickly got back into things.  I did another ride with Ironman Jason this past Monday and felt the way I felt after months of riding last summer.  Then today, Erica and I embarked upon a 30 miler down to Seward Park and back (at least it was pretty close to 30 miles I think--I failed to use my watch properly a couple times, skewing the mileage.  Oops, I'll get the hang of it).  On today's ride, I felt strong.  I felt fast.  I powered up the near 1,500 ft of elevation we climbed throughout the ride.  I chose to fight the hills.  And I won.  I killed those hills.

Lady bikers.  Watch out.

5)  Swimming...oh swimming.  I've seriously adjusted to open water swimming in Green Lake since last year's first dip in its green waters.  And the thing I really love about swimming is that it always comes back to me so quickly.  It usually only takes 1 or 2 swims to help my weak little arms readjust themselves to the demands of pulling my body through the water.  And then, suddenly, it starts to feel like I never took a break.  I've been on a total of 4 swims in the past 2 weeks and each one has felt better and faster than the last.  On the last one, I chose to push faster and further than any of the others and wound up swimming a mile in just over 30 minutes.  And I proved that it is the GPS, not me, that makes my swims look so sadly askew.

I did not start in the middle of the lake, and I did not get out of the lake
mid-swim. Or do that little turn around and go backwards thing at the end.

Strength can be found in many things, and these are the things that are making me feel strong right now.  And the one theme I've noticed in them all is the element of choice.  Strength comes from the choice to be strong.  I chose not to be brought down by an unfortunate race.  I chose to find a new job.  I chose to fight again, whether it comes to running, cycling, or swimming.  My strength comes from the choice to be and stay strong.   Because it always seems to happen that when I choose to be strong, it turns out that I in fact, am strong.

And I only found that out because I made the choice.

Every morning for the past 5 years at my school, my principal reads an inspirational, life-guiding statement for the day to the kids during morning announcements.  And she always concludes by saying, "Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours."  The context of this is obviously different for elementary school kids, but I've always found it to be relevant to us all.

When you wake up in the morning, you have a choice.  It can be a great day or not.  You can let the tough stuff bring you down, or you can choose to use it to make yourself stronger.

Today, I choose to be strong.  I hope you do too.

Heat is exhausting

Here in Seattle, we don't get many "hot" summer days.  And when we do, they usually don't come around until August.  The end of June/beginning of July is usually still pretty gloomy.  The 4th of July usually isn't a spectacularly sunny event.

But here we are on July 1st and we've had a couple day streak of near 90 degree weather.  And let me just say that Seattlites complain WAY more about this kind of weather than our 3 week streaks of rain.  We don't melt in the rain, we melt in the sun.

With the heat wave settling in, I'm even more ecstatic that I've been varying my exercise choices.  While I don't exactly mind running in 35 degree rainy weather during the winter, I absolute hate running in any temperature about 70.  I'm a true Seattlite in that I'm a complete baby in the heat.  I don't know how anyone lives in SoCal or Florida and continues to run year-round.  I can't even fathom it.

So for the past few days, I've been doing my best to stay outside and active while avoiding running as much as possible.

Let's start with Friday:

I woke up in the morning and took Lucy for her 30 minute walk while things were still pretty cool.  Then I put on my biking gear for the first time this season and took Old Reliable out for a spin.  I didn't intend to go far, just wanted to get my biking legs back in gear and start building up a little seat time.  I chose to do an out and back on the Burke-Gilman because I figured it would be a straight, flat, easy ride for my first one back.  While it was flat, I quickly remembered why it was we tended to stay away from the Burke last summer--it hasn't been paved in quite a while, making for a very bumpy ride.  Not so good for the seat area.  Nonetheless, I made it out to Matthew's Beach, which is pretty much 10 miles from my apartment, making for a perfect 20 miler.

Gorgeous morning at the beach, and not at all too hot yet.

After getting home, I met up with Natalie to go paddle boarding for the first time ever.  I was a little nervous, as anyone would be trying something new for the first time, but very excited.  We hand-carted her 2 paddle boards down to a tiny little dock in Ballard and took off thinking we wouldn't be out too long.  Once we got out there though, we were both feeling great and ended up paddling all the way from the canal side of the Ballard locks to the Fremont Bridge and back.  I realized as we were out there that I should have worn my oh-so-fancy GPS watch so we could clock our distance.  Oh well, there's always next time.

The whole paddle boarding experience was pretty awesome, with just a few minor slip-ups.  We started out getting stuck behind a big boat that seemed to be a little confused as to where it was going.  We waited for a while as the crewmen called out their apologies and then finally crossed to the other side of the canal as they told us that "really, we aren't aiming for you!"  

Shortly after that, the first big boat passed us at full speed and sent the first big waves our way.  I'd been the most nervous about falling off in these big waves, so luckily I got that out of the way real quick.  It actually felt pretty good to hit the water on the hot day, but not so good to hit the board and get this little doozy:

Large, ugly bruises are always fun.  Especially when you
tell people that it's a battle wound from paddle boarding.

It was smooth sailing after that though, and I'm proud to say that on our 2+ hour paddle boarding trip, I did not fall again.  Hopefully when we go again tomorrow I'll make it the whole way without a single fall.

All in all, I've decided that I love paddle boarding.  You get an awesome core and arm workout without really feeling it as you are out there.  It only got a little difficult towards the end and as we headed back the last stretch to the dock and got hit with a pretty awful headwind.  But we made it back unscathed.  First paddle boarding experience = success!

Me, my paddle board, and my entirely too large rib cage
that sticks out way further than it should (thanks mom).

Saturday:

On Saturday morning, after getting up and taking Lucy for her walk, I finally admitted to myself that I should go for a run.  I stupidly waited until 11:00 to head out though, and paid for it dearly in the heat.  Luckily I thought to bring along my little handheld water bottle, which kept me properly hydrated for the way-too-hot 5 mile run.  As I was running, I reminded myself that it was Saturday morning and suddenly felt very strange for being out there on my own instead of with my TNT peeps on a Saturday long run.  Saturdays are going to feel very strange until I pick back up with a team again in the fall.  Especially because my best running buddy Erica is currently on a team and therefore not available to run with me on Saturday mornings.  I'll just have to make do for a couple months on my own.

I did see some TEAMmates on Saturday night though when I went to see Guster, Ben Folds Five, and the Bare Naked Ladies at White River Amphitheater.  While the show itself seemed a little subdued and empty, I had a ton of fun.  I've seen all 3 of these bands play before, love them all, and was very happy to be able to see them all again.

TEAMmates, sweating it out in the heat together all in the name of good music.

Sunday:

Sunday was even warmer than Friday or Saturday, but I was woken up by a text request to mosey my way down to the Pride Parade downtown.  I rolled out of bed, got myself together, and showed up at the parade just in time for the start.  Luckily, Erica and Armando had scouted out a shady spot under a tree and we sat for a couple hours watching a VERY entertaining parade roll by.  After, we strolled down to Seattle Center for a bit to wander through the festivities there and then all decided we were burnt out from the heat and headed back home.  After being out in the the sun all day, I gifted myself a rest day and made friends with my couch for the rest of the evening.

Who needs to exercise after you've seen a full-grown man ride a giant burrito?

Today (Monday):

I woke up excited and ready to get back out into the sunshine again today.  I got up early enough to take Lucy for her walk while it was still cool.  Then I met Ironman Jason for a bike ride through Magnolia, the Ballard Locks, and out to Golden Gardens.  One thing I learned last summer was that even on a hot day, you can stay pretty cool on a bike.  If you're going fast enough, the breeze keeps you cool and dry for the most part.  

The view from Golden Gardens was beautifully clear today.

We stopped for lunch in Ballard, biked back home, and then made our way down to Green Lake for a swim to cool off even more.  The Green Lake bathhouse was busier than I've ever seen it, especially on a Monday afternoon.  We dodged paddle boats, paddle boarders, and floats as we made our way out for a wetsuit-less swim.

I seriously thought I had done better at swimming straight today.  This map
says not so much.  I'm going to partially blame it on inaccurate
GPS in the water.

Looking back on the pictures and recap of the past few days, I guess I can see why I'm so exhausted now.  Perhaps I can't entirely blame it on the heat.  I'd like to say that it definitely compounds the exhaustion though.  

But I'm not going to complain about this kind of exhaustion.  I spent the last 4 days doing just what I wanted to do with some great friends while seeing some amazing sights offered by the wonderful city I live in.  That puts a smile on my face regardless of how hot and tired I am.

This picture does not do the view of Rainier from White River Amphitheater
any justice.  But it gives you a taste.  I love this city.

Recovery report and some summer goals

If there's one thing I've noticed about marathon recovery, it's that the amount of recovery time needed drastically decreases as the number of marathons you've run increases.  With each marathon I've completed, I've made my return to the running world much sooner than the last.  And I've found that the more you keep moving post-marathon, the more quickly recovery occurs.

After Saturday's race, I tried not to sit stationary for too long.  I sat for a bit after the race and took a mini nap (30 mins) while defrosting from my ice bath.  But other than that, I was moving around the rest of the day/evening.  On Sunday, I woke up and took Lucy for an extended walk and then wandered down to the Fremont Fair to watch my co-worker's band play and roam around for a couple hours.

Coworkers! And beer!  Fun post-marathon recovery times.

By Monday, my legs were already itching to start moving again.  They were still sore, but not nearly as bad as I'd anticipated.  I actually managed to step down all 3 steps that lead to my apartment instead of executing my typical post-marathon grab-the-handrails-swing-and-leap move.  But I was a good girl and instead went into work for a few hours to start prepping for summer school.  I ended up just doing another long Lucy walk later in the day and stilled the restlessness in my legs with half a bottle of delicious wine and some girl talk that evening.

By Tuesday though, I was craving some sort of physical exertion.  I know it's ridiculous to feel "lazy" 3 days after running a marathon, but I did.  In large part because, while I am still trying my best to take a positive stance towards my not-so-fun marathon, I felt like I hadn't really and truly given it my all in the race and therefore didn't feel justified in relishing in post-marathon immobility.

Side note: thanks for all the reassuring FB comments.  You guys make me feel awesome when I'm not really feeling all that awesome.

So, I woke up Tuesday morning and took my routine 30 minute Lucy walk before heading in to work for the first day of summer school.  Everything went swimmingly and I was out the door by noon headed back towards Seattle and a date with Green Lake.  I was still hanging on to an ill-conceived belief that I wouldn't run for a week, so instead I met Ironman MacKenzie and Ironman Jason at the Green Lake bathhouse for our first open water swim of the summer season (not Jason's first, but me and MacKenzie's).  

I reacquainted myself with Green Lake.  We became best friends again.  I quickly recalled that I shouldn't think about the fact that I am swimming in Green Lake (eww) while actually in Green Lake.  I tried not to freak out too much when the seaweed floated into my face, and recalled fondly the days of smelling like neoprene from last summer.  It truly felt like summer again.

And the swim actually worked wonders for my recovery.  My back and neck, which had been more sore than my legs, felt amazingly loose and much better post-swimming.  My legs even loosened up a bit.  All in all, the first open water swim of the season was a success.

I did learn, courtesy of my fancy new Garmin 910XT, that I suck at
swimming in a straight line.

I took it easy again on Wednesday, trying to continue to be a good girl and not run.  So I did this instead:

Wednesday brunch complete with extra spicy Bloody Mary?  Yes, please.

But then today came.  And today, I felt no desire to "take is easy."  So I didn't.  First, I taught my half day of summer school and spent a couple hours starting to pack up the classroom.  Then I took another dip into Green Lake with Ironman Jason.

If you thought the first swim was bad, this makes me look drunk.
I wasn't.  Promise.  It kind of looks like a squid.  Or armless Frogger, mid-jump.
I totally did it on purpose.

And then, just a short hour later, Erica and I went for an "easy" recovery run (oops, still sub-9 pace) around Green Lake.  While I felt more winded than usual (something that seems to always happen to me post-marathon), my legs felt strong and I couldn't feel any soreness left in them.

Lucy's been helping with the healing of the blister, so I only felt a few
little pinches from it (I know, gross again, but that's true love right there).

Green Lake and I were the best of buds today.  I expect we'll have another date in the very near future.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be another pretty active day.  After a morning Lucy walk (and maybe a little yoga if I'm super motivated), I'm planning to take Old Reliable (yep, I decided to name my bike) out for her (or his?  I'm not sure yet) first spin of the season.  I want to do an easy 20 miles on the Burke and try to gauge how much seat time I'm going to need to put in to get things back in not-so-painful shape.  Then I've got a date with the Puget Sound, 2 stand up paddle boards, and my co-worker/also-not-working-for-the-summer friend Natalie.  This will be my first paddle boarding experience and am I'm super excited for it.  Natalie happens to own the 2 paddle boards so there will hopefully be many repeat forays in the sound in the future.  The weather is looking like it's going to be a scorching 80 degrees, which will be amazing.

And now that it truly feels like summer, and probably will even more so once the weather catches up tomorrow, it's time to set some summer goals.  If you remember, I set some pretty awesome summer goals last year, and then being the teacher I am scored myself in my Summer Goals Report Card.  Unsurprisingly, I  passed by "leaps and bounds."  This summer I have fairly similar goals with some slight alterations.  I've attempted to set myself up for even more success this summer.  Here goes:

Side note #2: This post is getting really long.  I won't be offended if you have to take a break and come back later.  In fact, I'll never know and then I'll think I have an amazing amount of pageviews for this post which will make me feel like the best blogger ever.

Summer Goals 2013

1)  Do different stuff.  Vague yes, but let me explain.  Since the start of Goofy training back in September, I've been doing nothing but run.  After my performance this past weekend, I'm kind of happy to put running a little further down the list for a while and focus on different things.  It won't disappear completely, it just may not be top priority for a while (which will probably mean running 2-3 times a week instead of 4-5).  This week I have been REALLY excited to do things that aren't running (swimming, soon biking and paddle boarding too).  I almost even bought a Groupon for 15 Crossfit classes, but then it was sadly sold out.  I'm keeping my eyes open for more though.

2)  Write more.  And write other stuff.  This was a goal last summer in which I gave myself the score of "semi-satisfactorily accomplished."  I wrote a decent amount of blog posts, but failed at writing anything else.  This summer I've set myself up for success.  I signed up for a fiction and short story writing class through the University of Washington, so unless I completely bomb the first college class I've taken since grad school, I think I've got this one in the bag.

3)  Enjoy teaching summer school.  I taught summer school last summer, but it was just a time filler.  I knew I'd get bored if I wasn't at least doing a little bit of work.  This year, I signed up again because it worked out perfectly last summer (2 days a week, 3 hours a day--just enough to keep me busy, but not too much to kill the whole summer).  I also thought I could take advantage of the afternoons down south to pack up the classroom a little at a time and cart everything up north bit by bit.  But really, I want to enjoy teaching the last moments I have at my current school.  It's going to be really hard to say goodbye, so I'd like to milk every minute I have with my Federal Way kiddos and coworkers.

4)  Lots of Lucy time.  Obviously.  Wouldn't want to get so caught up in everything else that I forget about the extra Lucy-dog cuddle time that summer allows me.

5)  Vary my cooking.  Last summer, the official grade for this one was: BIG FAIL.  I stuck to my peanut soy sauce noodle dish the same way I've stuck to it all year, with very minor variations in between.  I worry about setting this as a goal again, but I'm going to attempt it.  I've started getting a produce box delivered once a week, which has slightly varied my produce choices.  And I'm still set on visiting the farmers' market every Friday night.  I'm crossing my fingers I do better on this one this summer.  But I'm not holding my breath.

6)  Train for, and complete, a half-Ironman.  Yeah, this one's kind of a big deal.  I've got a race picked out (the Black Diamond long course on September 15--my dad's bday!), but I haven't committed to registration yet.  Although I'm pretty committed to the idea of it.  Ironman MacKenzie has already told me she'd join me, and since she's also a school employee off for the summer, this works out perfectly for training together.  And we're hoping to convince Ironman Kelly to join us too (Ironman Kelly, are you reading this??  You're being called out on the internet.  Now you must do it).  So there's that.

I think 6 is a nice, even, round enough number for summer goals.  I do have a new classroom to move into, a new school to get to know, and a new district to try to understand while I do all of this.  And only 2 months of "free time."

Let's get this summer started.

Cuddling commence.

Escape From the Rock Triathlon: My First Tri!

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you were a kid?  I remember very distinctly that I had two very clear dreams for myself: 1) Become an Olympic Swimmer (I recently admitted to myself that unfortunately, this dream will never come to fruition), and 2) Do a triathlon.  Apparently I thought I could make a living doing these things for ever and ever.

I'm not sure what it was that put the triathlon thought in my head.  My parents didn't do triathlons, I had no other family members that did, and I had no close friends that had either.  In fact, I had never met a single person (to my knowledge) that had completed a triathlon.  So where this elementary thought occurred from, who knows?  But as a 7 year old, I knew I loved to swim, and I liked to ride my bike, but I NEVER thought I could run.  Three marathons later, I think I've got that portion covered.

It may have taken a much longer time to accomplish this goal than it should have, and I may have come to accomplishing it in a roundabout way through years of sedentary life in NYC and then a few years of running, but here it is...a picture of childhood dreams come true:

Double thumbs up for childhood dreams.

I may not have been super prepared for this race, because I hadn't been on a bike or swam in weeks.  I also borrowed almost every item of clothing I wore in the race from Ironman MacKenzie (new winter goal: save up money for wetsuit, tri shorts, race bib belt, and bike jersey that fits my abnormally long torso).

Despite this, I finished.  And I'm pretty proud of how I did.  I finished 4th in my division (granted, there were only 19 people in my division, but I still think that's pretty good!).  

This was a small, local race with only about 300 participants total.  I loved the size for my first tri.  Nothing was too overwhelming, overdone, or intimidating.  And there were lots of other first timers, so I didn't feel as anxious as I could have.

Jamie also competed and finished her first tri in this race.  It was great having another friend there in the same boat as me.  Here were are, all bundled up pre-race.

As promised earlier, a picture of our awesome height differential.  Just under
a full foot between us.

We also had an amazing cheer squad there for us.  Ironman MacKenzie, Ironman Jason, and Half-Marathon Woman Dorothy all came out to cheer us on.  Unfortunately, we did not take a picture of the cheer squad, but they deserve as much credit as us for being out there on a gloomy September Sunday in Seattle just to cheer us on.  Thanks friends!

Now let's get down to the details.  I completed the Escape From the Rock Triathlon in Mercer Island, Seattle.  Somehow, this race is in fact linked to the Alcatraz Escape From the Rock race, but I'm not really sure how.  Escaping from Alcatraz sounds way cooler than escaping from Mercer Island, but I'll take what I can get.  The swim and the transition area is in Luther Burbank Park on the northern end of Mercer Island.  This is a beautiful little park, and if you've never been and live in the Seattle area, get out there and take a look.

The Swim

The swim started from the beach at the southern end of Luther Burbank.  It was one big loop in Lake Washington, and the water was about 72 degrees, which seemed perfect to me.  Before the race, we gathered by the beach to listen to the details of the race.

The man standing on the lifeguard chair made announcements and he was
AMAZING.  He seemed to love to hear himself talk and wasn't happy
until the entire crowd was laughing before the race start.

They started the swim in 4 waves of 75 people.  You could tell it was a low key race when they had to encourage the crowd to get in the water to fill the first wave.  I waited until the second and then hopped in the water.

The start of the swim is what I've been most nervous about leading up to my first tri.  I've heard Ironman MacKenzie recently tell of her swim experience in her Ironman, a race where there is a 2,000 person mass start.  That's right.  2,000 people--and they just say "Ready, Go!"  My 75 person wave was intimidating enough for me at this point.

After they started us, it took me a couple minutes to find a clear path to swim in.  I still am just not comfortable kicking and hitting people as I swim.  This is apparently something I will need to get over as I become a triathlete, but it's going to be hard for me.  I also inadvertently swallowed a lot water (eww, lake water) at the beginning, which made my tummy feel funny.

Once I found an opening, I settled into a steady pace, looking up every now and then to make sure I was headed towards the buoys where I was supposed to be.  The water was really wavy (much wavier than calm Green Lake), which took some getting used to.  My arms weren't as tired as I thought they'd be, and I felt like I was just getting warmed up as I rounded the last turn to head into shore (this will be a recurring theme).

Running in a wetsuit on jello legs to the transition.  Not the most comfortable
feeling I've ever had.

Swim Finish: .5 miles in 13:06

Swim to Bike Transition

After the swim start, the biggest thing I was worried about was the transitions.  I had no mental picture or physical practice with transitions, so I felt like I was entering completely unknown territory here.  Luckily, the race volunteers had let friends and family into the transition area until the race start, so Ironman Jason helped me to set up my transition area.

Some key pieces of advice from Ironman Jason:

1)  Bike necessities laid out first, followed by run gear.

2)  Sun glasses in helmet so you won't forget them.

3)  Roll your socks up like a ________ (you fill in the blank here) so you can put them on when your feet are wet, then stick them in your bike shoes.

4)  I'm sure there were some other pointers, but I don't remember them anymore.  Oops.

I probably took way too long in this transition, but I wanted to give myself time to wrap my brain around what I was doing and make sure I didn't forget anything.  Also, it was a really long run from the water to the transition area.  And at some parts we had to pick our way over a gravel path that wasn't quite covered enough.  In transition, I stripped off my wetsuit as quick as I could (how do you get those legs over your heels quickly??), threw on my bike jersey, unrolled my socks onto my feet, buckled up my bike shoes, and downed a GU, some Nuun, and a little water.  After strapping on my helmet, I was off.

Caught with my pants down.  Don't let my white tummy
blind you.

Swim to Bike Transition: 5:03

The Bike

The bike course of this race had you start in the north parking lot of Luther Burbank, climb up the hill to I90, and then ride the I90 express lanes across the 90 floating bridge.  The view from the bridge is gorgeous, but it was incredibly windy.  A couple times, I could feel my whole body tip as I was blown sideways.  This made it hard to gain much speed.

And I'm off!

As I started out the bike, my legs felt like absolute jello.  I felt like I couldn't push them hard enough to get any real speed up the hills, so on the downhills I shifted into my highest gears and pushed as hard as I could.  As flat as 90 may seem as you are driving across it, there are actually a lot of ups and downs between those tunnels and the bridge.  

There were 2 turnarounds on the bike--one at the end of the 90 tunnel on the Seattle side, and one at the end of the tunnel on the Bellevue side.  The Bellevue side is the last turn around, and this is right where my legs finally felt like they could do some work.  This allowed me to push up the steep off ramp back on Mercer Island.  But again, it felt like I was just getting warmed up as soon as it was time to stop.

Overall, I'm actually quite happy with how the bike turned out.  I was able to pass a number of people and only got passed by two or three others.  And I was pushing it as hard as my jello legs would let me.

Coming up the final hill into the finish.  I kinda almost look like a triathlete
or something.

Bike Finish: 12 miles in 40:31 (avg. pace 17.8 mph)

Bike to Run Transition

This transition was much easier.  A quick shoe change, down another GU, some more Nuun, and some water.  Threw on my Nike+ GPS watch, which luckily caught it's signal very quickly, and I was off.  I still feel like I could have done this much faster though.  But I'm keeping in mind that this was my first tri.  Slow transitions are allowed.

Bike to Run Transition: 2:26

The Run

As much as I love swimming and biking, running is still my strong point.  But although this was a short run, it still wasn't easy.  By the time I started out, my legs felt like jello again, except this time jello made of lead.  If that's possible.  It must be, because that's what they felt like.

It didn't help that the first half of the run went straight uphill.  From the transition area, up the trail to the I90 overpass until the halfway point, and then we turned around and came back.  My legs felt like they just did not want to go up this hill.  At some point towards the top, I even stopped and walked for about 10 seconds to give my legs just a little bit of a break.  Despite the jello lead feeling, I was quite surprised with my pace as I climbed the hill.  I knew if I pushed it hard down the hill on the way back, I could clock a pretty quick pace for the entire run.

Again, my legs just started to get warmed up to running as I re-entered the park for the finish.  I powered through the end, and crossed the finish line feeling pretty great.

Look at that speed.  Why aren't my feet blurry like the guy in front of me?  It's
OK, I passed him in the end cause the nice lady volunteer I saw before this
turn yelled at me and told me to.

Run Finish: 2.5 miles in 19:07 (avg pace 8:15 min/mile)

Total Finish Time: 1:20:12 and proud of it.

Finishers!!! (Yes, I'm squatting in this picture)

Overall, I felt like this was a great starter race for me.  Yes, there are places where I could have done better.  Yes, I can definitely smooth out my transitions.  I also think that a little bit of a longer distance tri (maybe Olympic) would be better for me, because then I could actually get some miles in with warmed up arms and legs instead of trying to function with jello.  But I did the best that I could for my first tri, and I couldn't be happier with how things turned out.  After all, racing (of any kind) is about an addiction.  An addiction to knowing you can always do better, be better, and try harder.  It only gets better from here.

Now I just have to wait out the winter and see what next year's tri season will bring!  Can't wait.

(photo credits to Jason, Dorothy, and MacKenzie, an awesome and dedicated picture-taking cheer squad!)

Have you done tri's before?  Any advice for a newbie triathlete?  Or an easier question: did you do anything this weekend you're super proud of?  Tell me!