Okay, I know my last few post have almost all been something to do with triathlons, but I cannot resist another. This commercial for Cliff bars is SOOOO funny. I love it.
http://www.weshobsonperformance.com/newsletter/commercial.html
Here is a very flattering post from my favorite Tri website on what makes women triathletes different from the men. Quite enjoyable.
Yesterday I went out to the ocean to get some open water swimming in. As the weather gets warmer, and the LA triathlon (which starts at Venice beach) approaches, I will be trying to get in some swimming in the real live ocean, not just my gym's tame pool.
At first I drove to Venice beach, but after talking with the lifegaurd, he said the conditions were pretty poor and he suggested I go to Will Rodger's Beach a few miles up the coast. I was a bit discouraged, but intent on swimming in the ocean, so I went to the other beach.
It turned out to be a nice swim. The lifeguard there was helpful, told me where to avoid and that he'd keep an eye out for me. Not too cold - reportedly 64 degrees - and the waves weren't too strong. I practiced getting in and out of the water several times, and swam up and back along the shore. I did get tumbled a few times practicing gettting out of the water - even lost my goggles. The waves were pretty big, but that was the whole point - to practice and get used the open water conditions. I look forward to more ocean swims over the summer.
The official results for the triathlon are in. I finished at 3:22:29. I got 43 out of 48 in the overall women and 9 out of 12 in my age group. I should have signed up for the Athena division (140lb or more) - I would have gotten first place.
Saturday night (after having finished a triathlong that morning) I attended my 10 year High school reunion. I had debated about whether or not to go, especially if I would be too tired. There isn't really anyone from High school I was dying to see. Why go hang out with alot of people you weren't even friends with from before? But I guess my curiosity won out. Also, I could be proud of my acomplishments since then - a master's degree, a good job, a nice husband, etc.
The only other person I knew would be there was my good friend Cathy. Gary was also nice enough to accompany me, especially since he aslo knew Cathy.
It was a wierd experience. I recognized most of the people there, but couldn't remember names or how I should know them. After talking, old memories long forgot would get triggered. It was a strange thing, having memories dug up. Some interactions were a bit akward, and there were some people there that I did remember - mostly because I couldn't stand them. But overall it was a good time, I most enjoying seeing Ryan, who I've recently become reaquainted with through his blog. It was also cool to see old friends who I did like, and see how they were doing.
Yeah, I am now an official triathlete! Saturday I finished the LA Champion Series Olympic distance triathlon. I'd never done an olypmic distance (1.5 k swim, 40 k bike, 10k run) before and was really excited about it. I had a terrible dream the night before that my alarm didn't go off and I slept through the race. I was so happy when my alarm went off at 5:45 and that I was on schedule.
Overall, it was a great experience. The race was exciting, alot of fun, and really hard. I worked at pacing myself and not burning all my energy in the begnning. The swim was fabulous - the lake was calm, the water was not too cold, and I did not run over/get run over by other swimmers. The bike part went well also, I stuck to my fueling plan with water, gatorade, and a TigersMilk bar. (I also managed just fine at going pee on the bike for the first time - my other races were half as long to I didn't have to deal with this issue before.) The run was tough. I tried to reapply sunscreen at the transition, but didn't do a good enough job and got sunburned in a few places. It was really hot, but I got through it - one foot after the other. I don't know the official results yet, but it took me about 3hours and 20 minutes.
There were some draw backs - mainly stemming from the fact that the race was not well organized. As with the last race I did, they started really late. My group should have started shortly after 8 am, instead we started just before 9am. It was really annoying because I had warmed up, stretched, drank, peed, and was all ready to start at 8. Also, because of the delay, my bike and run were affected. The organizers had only arranged for the roads to be closed and the cops controlling traffic at intersections until 11am - when I was still on the bike. I had to finish the bike course along with regular car traffic. What was worse, was simply that starting the race later meant I was finishing later when it was stronger. I finished the race around 12:30 - and it was already really warm. I would have much preferred to have avoided the noon heat.
But it was an awesome experience. I had alot of fun and am very proud of myself. Aside from feeling pretty pooped the next couple days and some chaffing on my hips, I feel fine. I was worried I might give myself another migraine or get sick.
I am definitely looking forward to my next race, the Los Angeles Triathlon. This should be a well organized race and an awesome venue. (I also get to race with really sexy people) I am encouraging friends and family to please volunteer for this race, September 11, 2005. I volunteered last year and handed out water to the runners. It is a great experience to volunteer - and you can cheer me on.
It seems that nasty viruses are running rampant. Almost everyone in my office has some kind of chest cold or cough. I am really, REALLY, trying to avoid getting sick right now. It would be terribly disappointing if I wasn't able to race in my first olympic distance triathlon this Saturday. So far I feel fine, and am tyring to eat really healthy and get enough sleep. I am keeping all my fingers crossed.
So don't cough on me!
Sunday I got up early at ran the LA Frontrunner's Pride Run. It took me an hour to finish the 10k. Unlike last year, I did not get a medal. There were 11 women in my division and first place came in at 47 minutes. Last year I got lucky and got 3rd place (out of 4:). After the race I supported my temple, BCC, at the West Hollywood Pride Parade. It was moving, shocking, and long as it was last year.
Later that afternoon, Gary and I went to see Howl's Moving Castle, the new film by Hayao Miyazaki, the maker of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. We both really enjoyed his other films, and this movie did not disappoint. It had alot of similar themes of his other animated films, basically a normal young lady finds her way into a magical hidden world of demons, spirits, and magic. I'm not sure if it will be playing in wide release, we saw it at the El Capitain in Hollywood.
I've been getting back into playing World of Warcraft, which also means I am staying up past my bed time. Gary and I switched guilds and now are part of The Validus Knights. We had been disappointed in the decline of the last guild we were in. Half the fun of playing an MMORPG is who you find online to play with, but now we are back where the action and adventure is.