Swimming is hard. (no. 49)

Alright, for those of you who were concerned about when I'd finally get in the pool, worry no longer.
Sunday morning I went swimming.  I haven't yet received my special triathlon bikini, so I had to choose from my cute ones at home.  The decision was ultimately made on which suit would best complement my swim cap and pink goggles.  So I wore the (kind of tiny) black and white Calvin Kline suit and headed to the outdoor 50m pool that offers lap lanes between the hours of 11 and noon on weekends. 
I got there early because I was feeling like I needed to claim a lap lane before anyone else.  I didn't know how crowded it would be.  Anyway, hanging out for 15 minutes in front of the locked up pool, I was able to get someone to spray sunblock on my back for me, and overhear a conversation between the elderly ladies that were waiting for their morning pool time.  One lady was lamenting having to start pilling her cat for a UTI.  I can't help but offer my advice, having just learned how to pill my own cat this week.  I try to explain it using words, but end up having to mime holding the cat's head up and dropping the pill into her mouth by using my own head as an example (I can only imagine how that looked).  And when I suggest blowing on the cat's nose once the pill is in their mouth to get it to lick it's nose and swallow, she's SO grateful.  Can't stop thanking me.  I feel pleased I can help.
Then the pool opens up and I head in with the ladies, stopping briefly in the shower to soak my hair as per my stylists suggestion. "Hair is like a sponge, soak it with water before you get in the pool and it won't absorb as much chlorine and won't get as damaged".  Brilliant! 
Hair soaked, swim cap on, I plop myself into a lane.  I then put on my pink goggles that I haven't worn in years, and they are uncomfortable.  They are child-sized, literally, because apparently the other pair I had would leak (this is a faint and foggy memory).  It's like they are smashing my eyeballs, it's awful.  But I can't not wear them, you know?
Alright.  I set my watch up on the edge to time myself, and start the swim.  I only have to go back and forth 15 times (7.5 laps) to go the tri distance of 750m.  How hard could that be?  I have to keep alternating between my stronger breaststroke and the crawl.  The crawl is hard.  In my head I'm thinking, I have to do the crawl for the whole tri, so I should keep forcing myself to do this.  I had a few moments where I'd feel like I had been swimming forever, stop to rest, look at the other end of the pool, and it was like one of those trick camera shots where the distance is skewed.  You know, like in Vertigo or something?  Soooo far away.  But I made it 1000m for good measure, in just over 32 minutes.
Lessons learned:
1) A CK bikini is not made for lap swimming.  It is designed specifically for lounging on a beach, and perhaps for easing one's way over to a swim-up bar.  This was unfortunately discovered after swimming at least 200m with the top twisted over to one side, no longer doing it's job at all.  At least it's just me, the lifeguards, and a few older women.  Maybe no one noticed my inadvertent indiscretion at all...tee hee.
2) I need new goggles.  Preferably with tinted lenses to shield my eyes from the burning bright sun.  (I went and bought some.  Tried on at least ten pairs too to make sure my eyeballs would not be smashed).
3) I should probably swim every weekend I can before the tri.  It's harder than I remembered.  It was different than how I felt after biking or running.  My body was totally fatigued, but it didn't feel like I had fallen out of a moving car.  Well, until today.  Today I feel like that.

Last night, on a spur of the moment trip downtown to enjoy some cake, I saw someone had put a tiny purple party hat on the nose of this flying horse, and couldn't stop laughing. 

The T2 Transition (48 and counting)

I'm still working on my checklist of things to do in preparation for this triathlon.  I have now completed the bike/run portion twice.  Today's went waaaay better.  I tried the suggestions I read to help make that easier.

I stood up to pedal in a big gear for about a quarter mile, about 3/4 miles from home.  Then I switched to a tiny gear and spun my legs like crazy for not very far, because it felt ridiculous and I was barely moving.  Then I prepared myself mentally for the run, visualizing what I would do when I got home (remember to pee) and heading out on my run.  I remembered to eat first.  I realized I should add "apply chapstick" to my list of things to do during the transition.

I got home, saved my heart rate monitor data for the bike, went inside, changed shoes and headphones (long story), and took off.  Immediately I felt a difference and the run was pretty smooth.

Earlier this week, I went to a "Tri 101" lecture hosted at Bicycle Village, and presented by the official Tri for the Cure coach, Melissa.  She was great!  She answered a lot of my questions, which I asked without hesitation or embarrassment in front of a fairly large group.  I even made everyone laugh a couple times.  And I learned a lot.

One of my concerns was about the bike ride course being narrow and perhaps requiring some finesse on the turn around points.  I'm great going straight and around gentle curves, but this course appeared to have a few sharp turns and I was envisioning myself teetering around these precarious corners at a slow rate of speed, getting in everyone's way and perhaps unclipping in a panic.  I asked if I should be worried about that if I'm not the most graceful, natural athlete on my bike, and she insisted I'd be fine, and everyone else looked relieved as well.

The other question was about what I should wear.  Let me back up briefly to the hour or so before the lecture, which I spent trying on "triathlon apparel".  This was an unenjoyable experience, to say the least.  First, I was handed a pair of bike shorts with a tiny chamois and pockets.  Yes, pockets.  And for the top, I was handed a tank top with a shelf bra.  Each of these items was over $70.  I asked, what about a bathing suit?  I was told, you swim in the shorts.  Snarling a little, I took them to the fitting room to just see what this was all about.  And it was awful.  The shorts had that silicone grippy stuff around the leg and waist opening.  So it was like, stuck to my body, too tight, squishing every little bit of cupcake up out around my waist, revealing what did not appear to be a triathlete's belly.  Pouting a little and trying to save my pride, I pull on the tank.  Immediately my waist disappears, leaving me looking much like I had no waist at all.  Adding to this "not what I had in mind" vision, was the fact that it was completely uncomfortable.  Even the mediums, I swear.

Anyway, I asked Coach Melissa what I could wear, and if anyone thought I really needed some expensive quick-dry mini chamois for an 11.4 mile bike ride.  The answer from the crowd was a resounding "no" (which I now know to be true, having ridden today sans chamois), and she said, you can do the whole thing in your bathing suit.  Do you have a bathing suit?  The answer: I have one with flowers and crap hanging off of it, it's super cute.  Ha ha ha.

So I spent arguably too much time on line hunting down the ideal racing triathlon appropriate bikini.  I found one that was highly rated by someone who had just finished a triathlon of the same distance through a cute website called "team estrogen.com", and what appeared to be an identical one on "trisports.com", which offered 15% off for new customers.  Sold.

Team Estrogen 

Trisports

Upon further inspection, the next day, I notice these suits are not identical.  Close.  I like the one on team estrogen better, and no, I can't explain exactly why but I do.  So, I've ordered three total suits (I've even admitted to a friend that they will all show up and likely be the exact same suit, but they just look different to me in the pictures, don't they??).  One small from trisports, and one small and one medium (realizing I may not be as small as I thought) from team estrogen.  Let's hope one fits, and that it too, is super cute.

It's April!! Thanks for that.

It felt weird to not be posting daily Items of Gratitude.  I know it's only been a few days, but it seemed longer. 
I had a fun week.  I got slices of pizza for lunch *twice*.  Both times with friends.  The first time with a group of the Good Apples from my old job.  Sooo nice to see them.  The second slice was with a girlfriend who also works on campus.
We were invited over to dinner this week as well.  Delicious, authentic fish and shrimp tacos.  And an introduction to the newly available in Colorado "Blue Bell" ice cream, with Nutella and crushed up cookies.  And last night, over for the pastry-chef's "Chocolate Dream Cake".  This was a chocolate cake, with mousse filling, in a chocolate cookie crumb crust, that she dreamt about, and then created.  Hooray for dream cakes!  And hooray for leftovers of this in my fridge.
I lifted weights again this week as well.  It had been awhile, because I was taking a dance class that somehow threw off my workout routine.  It was an intense dance class!  I lifted on Wednesday.  My body has been making it fairly clear to me that it was not pleased with this decision.  "Oh, you didn't think you had a muscle there?  Well, you do.  And it hurts, and it's going to ache whenever you move.  And how about this muscle here?  This one is going to hurt even if you just sit there.  Don't even think about trying to rub it because it's going to feel like you got punched there.  And yeah, you're being punished." (That's my body talking to me).
So this morning, 48 hours after this really wussy weight lifting session that still managed to leave me damaged, I decided I'm going to punish back and trot out for 3 miles.  Take that!  "Oh hell no, this isn't going to work for you at all.  All those muscles in your legs that serve only to move your body forward?  Well, those are going to be weak and wobbly.  And all the other ones that just seem to jiggle with your momentum?  Yeah, that jiggling is going to hurt."  Oooooof.  Jog jog wince jog ow jog....and then endorphins.  Thanks endorphins.  It's all good til I stop.  Then..."REVENGE!!!!  What were you thinking???? You suck. Prepare to suffer the rest of the day.  And now your back hurts too, way to slack off on buying new running shoes.  Jerk."
So...today I am thankful for: inner dialogues, Tylenol, that it's Friday, that I know my body is just talking sassy but that it actually appreciates the efforts, and that it's Friday.  And that I have new running shoes on their way to me in the mail.  And that I get to eat more of that Dream Cake tonight.  And that I have two new blog followers that hopefully enjoy my stories.  And that I have good friends to eat pizza with!  And good friends to eat fish tacos and dessert with.  But my ass is still sore.  Good lord.

And that my cat seems to like Disney Princess movies.  She's so damn cute.

Blog IV

I went for a run this morning before my trip up to Glenwood Springs for work this week.
Since daylight savings ended, it was actually pretty light out.  When I first headed out, the sun had not yet completely risen over the horizon - it was up just high enough to shine on a seagull that flew overhead but not shine on me.  The tops of the yellow-leaved trees were lit up, but not their trunks.  It was pretty cool.
Damian Marley & Nas were telling me "I got to keep on walking on the road to Zion".  I can relate to the metaphorical interpretation of Zion as the Promised Land, or some other distant but much wanted goal.  Who doesn't have their own Zion?  What's mine?  Do I even need to know, or do I just need to keep on the path to the highest good?  Maybe my Zion is figuring out my distant but much wanted goal...
I can think of a few short-term goals:
1) Finish dinner
2) Eat delicious piece of cake purchased at the Wal-Mart bakery in Rifle
3) Successfully complete required number of inspections while working in Garfield County for the State of Colorado this week
4) Successfully negiote expected winter storm while driving home over two mountain passes on Thursday
Slightly longer term goals:
1) Ride 50 miles
2) Go roller skating again, even if it's cold out
3) Attempt to enjoy and not resent the winter in Colorado
4) Build and maintain meaningful relationships
Long term goals:
1) ???
2) Come up with long term goals
But whatever my Zion ends up being, "Instead of broken dreams and tragedy, by any plan and any means and any strategy, ay say, I got to keep on walking..."