Black Friday

Today was Black Friday.

 

 

I admit I shopped.

I shopped from the comfort of my own home, in my own chair and at my own computer.

 

I didn't deal with traffic....

 

 

or hordes of people shopping....
 

 

 or even deciding what I should wear.....

Oh, who am I kidding, what I was wearing would probably not have changed.....

If I had gone to the mall I probably still would have worn workout clothes.

But I didn't go to the mall.
I stayed at home in my workout clothes.
I shopped for a couple of hours and FINISHED all my Christmas shopping.

DONE!
DONE! DONE! DONE!

Thank you TRX for having a 30 percent off sale on your pro kits.
Thank you Tri-Series for having a 40 percent off sale on your triathlon events.
Thank you Xterra for having a sale on your Snow Valley killer mountain bike triathlon.
Thank you Sock-Guy for being one of my sponsors and having a great sale on bike socks.
Thank you Reflect Sports for your 40 percent off sale on hair products and Hooha Ride Glide.


Thank you Amazon.com and Ebay for having a lot of items I wanted to buy (not just for me, but for others) for a great price with free shipping!!!

I saved so much time shopping online that I still had time to get my run in.

Nice run up Mt. Rubidoux with my guy and Willie (the dog).

Now if I could just get my guy to get down the Christmas stuff from the rafters in the garage, I would almost have Christmas under control.



That's tomorrow's workout.

 



What Should I Eat?

What should I eat?

I mean, I know the healthy stuff I should eat- veggies, fruits, whole wheat - but now that I know WHAT I should be eating, I am worrying about how "safe" the healthy stuff I am eating is?

 

Is this all organic?

 

For the past year my guy and I have really been focusing on eating healthy.

It's hard.

THEY make it hard to eat healthy.

 

Just when I thought I was eating healthy by eating fruits and veggies and whole wheat products and non-processed food...I would get a kick in the gut - because that's where my food goes - and find out that what I thought was healthy, wasn't.

 

Yikes!!!!

 

I looked up on the Internet what is SAFE and it shows me people washing their hands

 

or a pyramid.

 

 

But what really counts for making my food SAFE and healthy starts with where it comes from.

 

We (Robert and I) have been pretty good about buying food that are ORGANIC - especially the foods that really make a difference if they are organic - berries, apples, carrots, cucumbers, celery, lettuce...

 

Some produce probably doesn't make a difference - bananas, melons, avocados - since we don't eat the skin.

 

But I was at a loss when Robert and I went to lunch the other day and he picked Market Broiler.

 

Lots of people were in there eating and having a great time and enjoying their meal.

 

I looked at the menu and all I could think of was POISON because I didn't KNOW where the food came from.

 

First, I don't eat shrimp because they are bottom dwellers.

 

 

I do like fish, but I looked at the menu and I kind of freaked.

What can I order that is SAFE?

 

I mean, I am at Market Broiler and their big seller is fish and I am wondering, what fish can I order that is SAFE?

 

http://ecowatch.com/2013/10/09/fukushima-radiation-safe-to-eat-fish/

 

After Fukushima, I read a lot of article about radiation in the ocean and how it was poisoning our fish source.

 

But I sat at that table and looked at the menu and I didn't have a clue if what I was going to order was going to be GOOD for me or not.

Would it taste good? Yes. Sure. I mean fish taste good. Cheese potatoes taste good. Veggies with a lot of butter on them taste good. Salad with a side of Blue Cheese Dressing taste good.

 

BUT WAS IT GOING TO BE GOOD FOR ME?

 

I thought about ordering a glass of wine, but I didn't because I didn't know if the grapes grown to make the wine were organic or not.

 

I ordered Hot Tea and STILL it was an issue when the guy brought around the tea choices.

Which ones are organic? Does it matter if tea is organic?

 

 

This isn't me, but I am blonde.

 

So I sat there and stared at the menu and I ordered.

 

While we ate, Robert and I talked about how it would be great if there was an app on the iPhone that could scan the menu and could tell us what was SAFE and HEALTHY because ordering fish and veggies with a side of rice once was healthy, but now it may NOT be!

 

I didn't immediately DIE from my meal, but who knows how much damage it did to my body.

 

Eating these days is scary.

There is a lot of CRAP out there and I don't want it in my body. By now we know that going through the drive-through at a fast food restaurant is CRAP, but what most people don't know is that sitting down at a nice restaurant and ordering a $40 meal could be crap in your body, too!

 

I want to be KNOW what I am eating!

 

P.S. - tonight I had a grilled cheese on whole wheat with pumpkin soup. I read all the labels and I was satisfied that I was NOT being poisoned. I also had a glass of wine (or two), but after the second glass I wasn't that worried about it not being good for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kona 2013 Championships on TV

I watched the Kona 2013 Triathlon Championships on TV tonight.

I already knew the outcome of everything they showed.

I really wanted to see the other people...not the pros, not the celebrities....
I wanted to see the "ME" people.

 

I loved the show because it was TRIATHLON.

But I was disappointed.

 

 

Somebody is already selling their shirt on eBay.

Maybe they were disappointed also.

 

Look, the race took place in October...

it's now November.....

I know who won the pro divisions...

I know that Hines Ward and Gordon Ramsey, the "celebrities" finished...

I know that Harriet Anderson finished for her 21st time.

 

I wanted to hear about all the other stories of the people like "ME" who were there and finished.

 

Last weekend I sat in a hotel room in Lake Havasu with my athletes Orietta and Jeanne and we grilled fellow Triathlon Connection member Rusty Robertson about his Kona experience.

 

This was Rusty winning first place in his age group at Lake Havasu.

 

I am his supplier (I give him free samples) of Aquaphor and he brought back this great visor for me from Kona.

Thank you Rusty!!!

 

 

 

 

I told him I would be happy going to Kona to do the Underpants Race!!!

Well, I will have to eat carrots and celery for a couple of weeks and plank for 36 hours straight to get ready, but I am up for that challenge.Sue, Rusty and Sandy at Underpants Race 2013.

If Rusty can wear yellow underpants, I can wear my underwear in public, too!

Look, I haven't done an Ironman yet!

I have done two half iron distances and I have Coeur d'Alene 2015 calendared for my first full...

 

but during our talk/grilling session Rusty said go for the Lottery....

Rusty came in at Kona in less than 10 hours...

 

Tonight after watching the Kona 2013 Ironman Championships on TV I lost my mind and....

 

I did....(lose my mind)

 

put my name in the lottery....(yikes)

 

because I feel as if I could do it I. (truth - I had a glass of wine).

 

Harriet Anderson finished in less than 17 hours at Kona this year and if Harriet can finish, then I think I can finish.

 

I ran the Vineman 70.3 run with Harriet and had a fabulous time talking to her and learning a lot from her.

 

Harriet and me running together at Vineman 70.3.

 

So I took Rusty's advice and I plopped down some $ tonight and put my name in the lottery.

 

And if you know me....I win a lot!!

 

I am starting my training tomorrow!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



USAT National Challenge Competition

Just when you thought it was time to hang up the goggles, park the bike and stash the running shoes and give yourself a recovery break from triathlon......

 

 

 

 

Club sign ups opened up November 1 and the challenge starts December 1. The challenge competition lasts three months.

All swim, bike, run miles count in the challenge, but each month has a different emphasis.

 

December

 

 focuses on swimming.

First team to log 500 swim miles gets a certificate.

 

 

 January

 focuses on biking and the first team to log 7,500 is the winner.

 

 February

 focuses on running.

First team to 2,500 miles in February is the winner.

 

Clubs compete against each other based on how many people are on the club rooster. To be able to compete on your club's team you have to be a member of the club AND USAT

 

 

 

 

There are lots of rules, but really it is all for fun!

 

http://www.race-tracker.net/usat/rules.cfm

Click on the above link if you want to read all the rules.

 

The USA Triathlon National Challenge Competition is an off-season competition between USAT member clubs across the United States. Clubs have been swimming, running and biking against each other during December, January and February since the challenge started in 2006.

 

And you can win stuff!!

 

I've signed my club up.

 

Last year we did pretty good!

 

http://train-n-tri.blogspot.com/2013/03/usa-triathlons-national-club-challenge.html

 

This year we are going to do better!!

 

On your mark, get set.....

 

 

 

 

 



The "F" Words of my Weekend

 

I had a weekend of F's.

And don't get all freaked out because the f-word isn't one of them...

 



This is a pretty good list of "F" words, but they don't describe my weekend.

 

 

Driving 4 hours in a car is NOT Fun....if you were doing it all by yourself. But thankfully, I was driving in the car with two of my athletes - Orietta and Jeanne. We were driving to Lake Havasu for a weekend of triathlon.

 

 

Orietta was geared up to compete in her first half iron distance at the HITS Triathlon and Jeanne decided to test her Fitness limit by stepping up from competing in sprint triathlons to her first Olympic Distance. I was signed up for the half, but come Saturday morning, I knew my not-yet-healed rib muscles could not take the beating of seven plus hours of endurance racing without forcing me to start the healing process all over again,so I switched from the half to the Olympic.

 

Saturday, Jeanne and I spent the day following Orietta around and taking pictures. We were the Orietta paparazzi.

 

Too bad photography doesn't start with a "F" because we spent a lot of time shooting pictures.

 

Me and Orietta before the swim! I look happy because I knew I had cut my race time from 7 plus hours that day down to 3 and change the next day!

 

 

 

Orietta is an awesome swimmer!

 

 

Me with Coach Tony, Liz and Orietta - Triathlon Connection Family (yeah, another "F" word!!!

 

Orietta coming in from the swim.

 

 

Orietta was the 7th woman out of the water.

 

Once you got out of the water, the HITS triathlon had wetsuit strippers.

 

I guess being 7th woman out of the water gives you time to take a big drink in transition.

Almost every time I saw Orietta she waved, unless she had nutrition in her hand and was eating Food....which was a lot of the time.

Jeanne took a picture of me taking a picture of Orietta.

Orietta left transition and was eating a banana. Just a couple of seconds later she tripped, fell, skidded and rolled. She got up with her banana and ran on even though a lot of people were asking her if she was okay. I was worried that she had really hurt herself, but even with a bruised and twisted ankle she managed to run a half marathon in 1:58.

She had predicted she would Finish in 6 hours. She Finished in 6:01.

She was happy!

 

We started off Sunday morning with a Fantastic sunrise!

 

 

 

People should NOT be required to take photographs before they have brushed their hair or had a cup of coffee....

 

No matter how Fabulous the sunrise.

You can see the part of the lake where we swam in the background.

 

Jeanne and I went to transition and set up and then decided to go back to the hotel room and stay warm until it was time for our wave. It was great to put on our wetsuits in the hotel room and then walk down to transition.

Our hotel was in a Fabulous location - just a short walk to transition.

 

 

 

Jeanne had some claustrophobic moments with her wetsuit and Anna and I, under Liz's careful eyes, pulled up her sleeves and zipped her up.

 

We are ready to be Fish-like.

 

The pictures of Jeanne and me from our race are thanks to Orietta and our TC friend Sinta.

 

Jeanne finishing her First loop. We had to swim the course two times.

Around the "candy corn" and Jeanne goes back in for another lap.

 

 I'm going back in for another lap.

 

 

Jeanne is coming out of water.

She starts ripping off her wetsuit and then the "strippers" took care of ripping off the rest of it.

I'm coming out of the water.

I'm unhooking my SwimSafe belt. The wetsuit "strippers" had a hard time getting my wetsuit off. After I had my arms out of the suit, I sat down on the cement and they tried to pull the legs of the wetsuit off of me. All they did was pull me across the cement. I started to laugh. Finally they got my wetsuit off. One of the guys apologized for being too rough.

All I could say was, "Yeah, you guys were kind of rough, but I liked it." We all laughed. They handed me my wetsuit and I ran up the path toward transition.



 

 

 

Since I wasn't the 7th women out of the water, I did not stop and take a drink in transition.

I did run my bike out.

Mount.....

and ride.....

 

 
.....and ride.

Jeanne comes in from her 24 miles of the "which way should I go" course.

Jeanne dismounts and runs into transition.....

where she sits on a stool and puts on her running shoes....

 in 1:26.

 

 

 

I'm in from the bike, but I don't use the stool. My stool is being used by the cup of coffee I had in the morning. There was a little bit left in it and I actually thought of drinking it. But again, I was NOT 7th out of the water, so I just put on my running shoes.....

 

 

and hat.....

 

and ran.....

 

out of transition.

 

6.2 miles later I Finished.

 

 

Jeanne Finished.

 

We took pictures at the Finish line (me, Orietta and Jeanne).

 

Then we ate Food.

 

On the way home we stopped at the Shoe Fence.

 

Orietta donated her pair of running shoes which she had tripped in.

 

 

I added a pair of Flip-Flops just for the Fun of it!

The tree Fence is along the south side of a desolate section of CA-62 in the desert north of 1-10.

 

That wasn't the end to the Freakish.

 

A little Further along the road we stopped for this directional sign/mailbox. You can see the from of my suburban off to the side, so that gives you an idea of how tall this signpost/mailbox is. Yes, there is a mailbox at the top.

 

The pole has all sorts of things tied, nailed, wrapped, glued, stuck and woven onto it.

We all found something to contribute.

Orietta and Jeanne left their HITS race bibs.

 

I left my Ironman race shoe key chain.

 

 

 I had a fabulously fun weekend using my fitness, watching my friends use their fitness, crossing the finish line, eating food and sharing it all with my triathlon family.

 

Those are the best "F' words ever.