I took the plunge

M and I stopped at on outlet mall on our way home yesterday and found that the Pearl Izumi store was having a *huge* sale. I finally took the plunge and bought these. They are the Attack MTB II cycling shoe.

M promised we will go to the park this weekend so I can learn how to clip in & out of my pedals. We bought pedals last year that had one "regular" side (for use with sneakers) and a clipless side. They have been waiting for the day I would decide to start riding with real cycling shoes.

Why go to the park, you ask? Because there will be lots of grass there to cushion my many, many falls.

I made the cut!

Of course, I'm bummed that my co-worker didn't make it in this year. She really wants to do a triathlon (its a life long goal for her). From the information I found, they closed the registration on June 21; she sent her stuff in later that week. She was going to do Highline with M and I, but her step-sister was getting married the same weekend in Las Vegas. I told her if she went to the wedding (long story on why she didn't want to go), that we would go to Glenwood together. I feel awful I have to go back on my word.

In other news, I re-worked my training schedule and had my brother-in-law and his wife take a look at it. They are quite the knowledge base! I could sit there for hours and hear stories about their training and adventures. I guess that will have to wait until we don't have 12 people at the lunch table.

Instead of using TriNewbies as I did for Highline, I modified Hal Higdon's novice half marathon schedule to incorporate all three sports. The run is 5 miles instead of 5K, so I think if I focus on that leg I can shave a lot of time off. I've worked up a preliminary "goal time" in my head, but I want to get some more training under my belt before I share it with the world.

Nine weeks to go, with promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.

I have been stalking Triglenwood.com

The entry form said they would post which athletes made the lottery "the first week in July." Well, I've been stalking the website ever since July 1. There is still nothing listed, but I guess if you consider this the first full week of July, they have until COB today.

On a brighter note, I went to look at my checking account online this morning and guess what got cashed??? My check for the entry fee. I would hope they would only cash the checks of those they accepted and return the others instead of cashing them all. DON'T BE A TEASE TRI GLENWOOD!

Traveling and Training

I seem to have an extremely hard time getting my training in when I travel. Traveling overnight for work is a twice monthly occurance for me (at least), so I try to find a hotel that has a fitness center and pool (out here my choice is pretty much limited to the Hampton Inn). By the time I get there, three thoughts run through my head:

1. Dinner
2. What work should I do tonight to get ready for tomorrow
3. Training

The great thing about my job is that I can work >8 hours while I travel and get "credit" for them later. So, if I work an extra 3-4 hours while I'm gone I can take Friday afternoon off. That dangled carrot always seems to get in the way of working out.

I'm traveling to see my parents this weekend. I'm going to try a couple of different things to get my training in before I come up with an excuse not to. This will probably mean switching my runs to the morning. I prefer to run in the evening after it cools off, but this means we don't eat dinner until 9pm. While M said he had no problem with this, my run schedule last night proved otherwise. At least I got a good reminder why I don't run with anything in my stomach.

Decisions, Decisions

I've been working on modifying Hal Higdon's Novice Half Marathon Training to meet my schedule. I have master's swim class on Thursday nights and would like to keep going to work on my speed and technique. I also ride long and swim on Sunday mornings. With everything in pencil on my print out, I think I am ready to begin this week. The training schedule is twelve weeks long, but the Seattle Half Marathon is over twenty-four weeks away. Being able to repeat each week is going to be nice.

The schedule also allows for two races - a 5K during week 6 and a 10K during week 9. I've been searching for races to do in my area and here is what I've found:

Palisade Peach Festival 5 Miler - August 15th
The Other Half (Half Marathon in case we don't go to Seattle) - October 18th

There really isn't anything else out here on the Western Slope that isn't already full. I'm hoping I can also find some races near my parents so I can combine a visit with a race. The options there appear to be much more abundant.

Here's the funny thing; had we not moved away from my parents, I don't think I would have ever thought to do any of this. There is no way I would have considered doing a triathlon; I would have been happy to just walk various courses. What a difference a change in scenery makes. My training begins again tomorrow.

Ha!

You'll have to click on the comic to enlarge it.

Signed up for Tri #2

I sent in my application and entry fee for Tri Glenwood last week. They only allow for 300 spots, so I'll know sometime in July if I made it in.

My goal in the next couple of weeks is to get back into the swing of things. I have downloaded Hal Higdon's novice half-marathon training guide. I'm hoping this will help with my speed and endurance. Also, there is a possibility I will be sent to Seattle again for training in November. The Seattle Marathon (and associated half-marathon) are during that time. Once I find out if I'm going to Washington, I will sign up.

I couldn't run a year ago and now I want to do half-marathon *and* and second triathlon by the end of the year. Yep, I'm definitely crazy.