I wonder...
if they have Guinness Stations instead of water stations?
if they hand out four leaf clovers (or better yet - pots of gold) instead of medals?
if Glen Hansard will show up to sing beautiful songs to me? (fingers crossed)
if the entertainment stations will include U2 and/or Riverdance?
So... some news! I applied a few weeks ago and was just chosen to be a Team in Training Team Captain for the summer/fall season. For what event, you ask? Oh. For the adidas Dublin Marathon.
Iiiii know!
I'll act as kind of a mentor for 5-10 of the new TNT marathon participants. I'll offer encouragement and support, provide fundraising ideas and organize group activities, and try to build camaraderie within my group. Oh yeah, and train for the Dublin marathon. :) I'm so excited!
But, first things first: gotta get this triathlon tackled.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Seriously.
How could anyone not love this guy?
Someone recorded this at the show I went to last week.
Someone recorded this at the show I went to last week.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
What Kind Of Week Has It Been
It's been busy, you guys.
But the good kind of busy, for the most part. Lots of firsts and fun things to do and challenges and whatnot. And, since I'm very nearly falling asleep at my computer at 9:30pm, I'm going to go with the theme of:
Snapshots and snippets! (click on the photos to make them larger)
Tuesday: William Fitzsimmons
Since htd was out of town and my phx friends aren't so much with the sad, sad music, I went to this concert by myself. And you know what? I had a GREAT time. Rosi Golan was terrific with her clear, bell-like voice and unassuming stage presence. And William Fitzsimmons was just fantastic. His music is so sad and melancholy, but there's this note of hope that shines through on a lot of his songs. And he has this surprisingly funny and relaxed stage presence that I wasn't expecting at all.
This event involved a 750m swim, followed by a 4k run. They hold these things pretty much every Thursday for a few months to give local multisport athletes a chance to practice their open water swimming and transition techniques. This was my first open water swim. Yikes. But! I accomplished my goal and was NOT the last one out of the water. And I passed a couple people on the run. It actually ended up being a lot more fun than I was expecting. Who knew??
The Tour is an annual race that takes place in Mesa and benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The 26-mile race took place along almost the exact same challenging route that my TNT group rode a couple weeks ago. That first trip up the mountain, I had to stop three times and rest for a minute just so I could continue on up. This time I didn't stop at all. Woo! It's nice to see that my training is doing its thing. Also, I came in 59th out of 170 entrants. Being a brand new cyclist, I'm pretty proud of that. :)
Virginia, a friend from my Georgia days, is currently in Tucson for an orthodontics conference. So htd and I drove on down to spend some time with her and her friend Stephanie. We visited the San Xavier mission and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, drove through downtown, and spent some time by the hotel pool drinking slushies and chatting it up. So much fun! And now I can tell you all kinds of facts about Gila Monsters. I know.
Now: sleep.
But the good kind of busy, for the most part. Lots of firsts and fun things to do and challenges and whatnot. And, since I'm very nearly falling asleep at my computer at 9:30pm, I'm going to go with the theme of:
Snapshots and snippets! (click on the photos to make them larger)
Tuesday: William Fitzsimmons
Since htd was out of town and my phx friends aren't so much with the sad, sad music, I went to this concert by myself. And you know what? I had a GREAT time. Rosi Golan was terrific with her clear, bell-like voice and unassuming stage presence. And William Fitzsimmons was just fantastic. His music is so sad and melancholy, but there's this note of hope that shines through on a lot of his songs. And he has this surprisingly funny and relaxed stage presence that I wasn't expecting at all.Thursday: Splash N Dash
This event involved a 750m swim, followed by a 4k run. They hold these things pretty much every Thursday for a few months to give local multisport athletes a chance to practice their open water swimming and transition techniques. This was my first open water swim. Yikes. But! I accomplished my goal and was NOT the last one out of the water. And I passed a couple people on the run. It actually ended up being a lot more fun than I was expecting. Who knew??Saturday: El Tour de Phoenix
The Tour is an annual race that takes place in Mesa and benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The 26-mile race took place along almost the exact same challenging route that my TNT group rode a couple weeks ago. That first trip up the mountain, I had to stop three times and rest for a minute just so I could continue on up. This time I didn't stop at all. Woo! It's nice to see that my training is doing its thing. Also, I came in 59th out of 170 entrants. Being a brand new cyclist, I'm pretty proud of that. :)Sunday: Tucson
Virginia, a friend from my Georgia days, is currently in Tucson for an orthodontics conference. So htd and I drove on down to spend some time with her and her friend Stephanie. We visited the San Xavier mission and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, drove through downtown, and spent some time by the hotel pool drinking slushies and chatting it up. So much fun! And now I can tell you all kinds of facts about Gila Monsters. I know.Now: sleep.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Ooooooof.
What a week.
Top 5!
1. Parents. - Mom and Dad came to visit for their Spring Break this week. They rolled into town last Friday night and spent the week generally being awesome. Dad did some work on my house and Mom cleaned and organized and put her little Mom-touches on things. We checked out some local breweries and went to the Team in Training picnic. I love it when they visit!
2. Friends. - I met the wonderful Jo and her sisters last Friday night. Jo and I have been Super Cool Blogger Friends for awhile now and have a common friend connection through Bea and we finally got to hang out. Yeah. We're awesome. :)
3. Swim. - It's going better! I think I've finally figured out the proper form, so now it's on to building up the endurance.
4. Backyard. - My dad replaced the shade structure and siding on the patio off of my bedroom. The backyard is all spiffed up and I spent Monday finding a good deal on some patio furniture, so I had a few friends over for a cook out on Wednesday evening. The weather was perfect and the food was great. So fun!
5. Bike. - Our long bike rides are getting exponentially longer and more difficult - but also more fun. Today was a HARD ride - about 27 miles with a beast of a hill in the middle. See the red sections on the elevation chart? Oy. But it's so beautiful out there - classic (Sonoran) desert mountain landscape (that clarification was for you, Bea).
I need a nap.
Top 5!
1. Parents. - Mom and Dad came to visit for their Spring Break this week. They rolled into town last Friday night and spent the week generally being awesome. Dad did some work on my house and Mom cleaned and organized and put her little Mom-touches on things. We checked out some local breweries and went to the Team in Training picnic. I love it when they visit!
2. Friends. - I met the wonderful Jo and her sisters last Friday night. Jo and I have been Super Cool Blogger Friends for awhile now and have a common friend connection through Bea and we finally got to hang out. Yeah. We're awesome. :)
3. Swim. - It's going better! I think I've finally figured out the proper form, so now it's on to building up the endurance.
4. Backyard. - My dad replaced the shade structure and siding on the patio off of my bedroom. The backyard is all spiffed up and I spent Monday finding a good deal on some patio furniture, so I had a few friends over for a cook out on Wednesday evening. The weather was perfect and the food was great. So fun!5. Bike. - Our long bike rides are getting exponentially longer and more difficult - but also more fun. Today was a HARD ride - about 27 miles with a beast of a hill in the middle. See the red sections on the elevation chart? Oy. But it's so beautiful out there - classic (Sonoran) desert mountain landscape (that clarification was for you, Bea).
I need a nap.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Emma Places An Order
by: my sister-in-law.
Mommy: Sorry, Emma, no beverage for you.
* * *
And would you get a load of those CHEEKS there, folks? I wonder if they make some sort of cheek support device - kind of like a bra for the face. I'm picturing something like those old time toothache wraps. Might be worth looking into...
She's so adorable!
Emma(to the Starbucks lady): Why hello. I'd like a grande caramel frappuccino with whip. Please.
Mommy: Sorry, Emma, no beverage for you.Emma: WTFudge? :( You're no fun, mom. (gives sad eyes)
* * *
She's so adorable!
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Swimming Is For The Birds
I mean fish.
Ugh. I'm so frustrated tonight. I feel like I'm never going to get the hang of this "swimming long distances" thing ever. How is it that I can run or bike relatively long distances with no trouble, but throw me in a pool and it's like I've never exercised a day in my life?
I know it takes time to get the hang of new stuff and, as both htd and the Bea kindly reminded me during my hunger-and-exhaustion-fueled teary ramblings, running didn't happen in a day (or 3 1/2 weeks). But I think the difference there was I did all the beginner work on my own, months before I started official Team training. I wasn't learning to run with 20 other people trotting breezily beside me and a coach I didn't want to let down. It was just me and htd slogging our way through those grueling months and miles. Less pressure. Less upper body strength required. Less sticking my head in some water and not being able to breathe whenever I want/need to.
Maybe it just boils down to the fact that I hate not being at least passably good at stuff. I am literally the slowest swimmer on my team. I am in the slow lane. And I am the slowest person in the slow lane. I feel like a slacker when I can't do all the laps we're supposed to do because I'm clutching the side of the pool sucking wind.
It's got to get better, right? I have an email in to the coach asking what I can do to improve. I have a feeling the answer is going to be "swim more." Which means adding another workout to an already packed schedule. But if that's what it takes, dammit, I will haul my ass off to the pool and swim all the superman drills and side drills and side drills with a stroke and belly button drills and head position drills and freestyle 100s that it takes to keep up with the curve.
The goal: to not only finish the 1500m swim on May 30th under the time limit, but to not. be. last.
*EDIT 11:25pm*
Note to self: calm down.
Ugh. I'm so frustrated tonight. I feel like I'm never going to get the hang of this "swimming long distances" thing ever. How is it that I can run or bike relatively long distances with no trouble, but throw me in a pool and it's like I've never exercised a day in my life?
I know it takes time to get the hang of new stuff and, as both htd and the Bea kindly reminded me during my hunger-and-exhaustion-fueled teary ramblings, running didn't happen in a day (or 3 1/2 weeks). But I think the difference there was I did all the beginner work on my own, months before I started official Team training. I wasn't learning to run with 20 other people trotting breezily beside me and a coach I didn't want to let down. It was just me and htd slogging our way through those grueling months and miles. Less pressure. Less upper body strength required. Less sticking my head in some water and not being able to breathe whenever I want/need to.
Maybe it just boils down to the fact that I hate not being at least passably good at stuff. I am literally the slowest swimmer on my team. I am in the slow lane. And I am the slowest person in the slow lane. I feel like a slacker when I can't do all the laps we're supposed to do because I'm clutching the side of the pool sucking wind.
It's got to get better, right? I have an email in to the coach asking what I can do to improve. I have a feeling the answer is going to be "swim more." Which means adding another workout to an already packed schedule. But if that's what it takes, dammit, I will haul my ass off to the pool and swim all the superman drills and side drills and side drills with a stroke and belly button drills and head position drills and freestyle 100s that it takes to keep up with the curve.
The goal: to not only finish the 1500m swim on May 30th under the time limit, but to not. be. last.
*EDIT 11:25pm*
Kristen,
Don't worry you are doing fine. I'll pay more attention to you on Thursday but you are on track. There are some who are doing "worse" than you. Do not worry at all. Of all my TNT teams, this one has the most proficient swimmers. You just happen to be in a group where everyone does pretty well! Most seasons, I have some athletes that can't swim at all.
If you want to work on your own, do 20-30 minutes of 25 of drills with 25 of swimming. But even if you just swim with TNT there is no doubt in my mind you will be ready for the race.
So don't be frustrated and have fun :)
Coach Jim
Note to self: calm down.
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