So I did it yesterday – my first triathlon! WHOOP! I’m actually really excited – it was so great! I’ll start with my time: 1:28:26! Before I start recapping, keep in mind that while this is respectable for a tri time, I’m obviously not even close to some of the REALLY hardcore women that were out there… The tri was the Ironbabe (all women’s) triathlon, and there were 400+ women competing, and to quote Kendyl, for most of them, “this was not their first rodeo,” and man is she right.
Some of the ladies out there were amazing, like this is what they live for… it was cool to just be a spectator to witness. So back to me – not anywhere close to this level, but after training for the past 4ish weeks and a couple practice triathlons, I thought I could improve a little from my last practice time of 1:44:30 to have a goal of 1 hour and 40 minutes. I told Curt what my goal would be, and he encouraged me to go for 1.5 hours and I was skeptical. So I said I’d still go for 1:40, and if it looked like I could get to 1:30 then I’d kick it into a higher gear for the run at the end.
So here’s how the morning went… we woke up in the 4’s (hate doing this) and while Curt was loading I made my famous scrambled egg whites and cheese… usually when I’m nervous it’s hard for me to eat (especially so early in the morning) but I forced them down and we made our way out to pick Kendyl up at 5:20 a.m. Then we headed over to the race site (Duessen Park off of Lake Houston) which was about 45 minutes away. We got there in good time, I went and got marked up, got my chip, and started to stretch, etc. and hydrate up to get ready… saw my boss and we chatted, then I got my swim cap on and we lined up.
By this time I was pretty nervous… a lot of people had prepped me for the mass swim experience but seeing all of those people (even if we were in timed waves) was intimidating. Kendyl gave me great advice and told me to just play it safe and not worry about any times (as my overall goal was just to finish and not stop) and stay alive and away from the group on the outside. Good advice, I say, so I tried to do just that. I let the really hardcore swimmers pass me by, and tried to do some freestyle strokes initially, which I quickly figured out weren’t going to work for me as I was just hitting way too many people and it was weirding me out. Literally the scene in Lord of the Rings came to mind where Frodo and Smeagle are crossing the marshes and there are all these dead people looking up at them through the water – with every stroke one of my limbs would hit someone else’s even if it looked as if you weren’t close enough to someone to hit them (hence the thought of all of these limbs all over the place in the water) – weird, I know but just sharing my creepy thought.
So I just ended up doggie paddling most of the way, with some backstroke once in awhile to rest… I rationalized that swimming strongly exactly where I needed to be going, just slower in pace, was better than me attempting to keep my head in the water to go faster and getting off course. At least doggie paddling when I hit people I could quickly steer out of the way and keep my breathing steady. There were many women that were having trouble though – I think something about the open water provokes a different kind of anxiety in a way. There was a noodle lane, lifeguards, and kayakers with one boat to monitor everyone, and there were quite a few people that needed one of the above services.
As I was rounding the last buoy and getting close to the last 40ish meters a girl yelled for help from one of the lifeguards behind me. The lifeguard was just in front of me and got to her quickly but made me thankful for the fact that even though I might not be fast, I’m a strong swimmer and did fine in the swim. When I could see Kendyl and Curt I started waving at them which made Kendyl laugh – she was like “swim!” LOL – I was having a good time… So I finished my swim in less than 10 minutes (practice time in the lap pool was usually about 8.5 minutes so I didn’t do too bad considering?) and ran out of the water into the transition area. As fast as I could I got into my socks and bike shoes, threw on my helmet and race number (Kendyl was telling me to slow down as I was getting tangled in my belt – LOL!), ate a Goo, unracked my bike and was off!
Kendyl and Curt were right there to cheer me on which was so fun… I got on my way on the bike, and the route was really great and enjoyable! I was keeping a great pace – my only goal was to keep her above 15 mph and I ended up averaging over 17 so I was really thrilled! I passed a lot of people that had passed me in the swim, so I definitely made up a lot of time in this leg! What was amazing to me was how many women I saw on both ends of the spectrum, bike-wise. There were some women out there with mountain-bike types that I would think would be so difficult to cycle on for this kind of purpose, and there were women with the funky race helmets, arm resters and special water bottles with the super aero-dynamic bikes… everyone was encouraging one another (which I loved about the all-women’s feel about it all day) even if they were super hardcore and really competing for a top spot.
So the bike was great – when I rounded the corner to come in saw Kendyl and Curt again (Curt was the photographer for the day with the new camera) and they clapped for me all the way into transition. I got out of my shoes, threw on my running shoes… out of my helmet and threw on my hat, ate another Goo, chugged some Gatorade, and ran out again. The run was enjoyable, too. The course ran right up against the buffalo pen, so there was a lot to look at, and just kept going… was feeling pretty good throughout, and was pretty excited when I got to Mile 1 marker (almost there)! At Mile 1 and 2 there was a water station (same place – just turning at 1.5 mile to come around again) so passing through Mile 1 I grabbed a cup of water to drink on. It was SO cold which was nice to drink, though drinking while running is very difficult and hilarious! LOL… so I had a couple of sips, took one last gulp, and threw the rest on my head. What’s funny about this is that I wasn’t particularly hot, but thought that since runners do this just to cool off an extra bit, hey, why not, except it backfired on me… I had taken that last gulp and thrown it on my head, but the water was SO cold that it made me gasp a lungful of water, thus making me choke and cough on what was in my mouth! I opened my mouth and all the water tumbled out and I just laughed at myself… that’s what you get, I guess! :-)
When I got back to Mile 2 I checked my watch to see how I was doing, and noticed that I was going to be close to the 1.5 mark! I kept up my pace, and as I got into the last ½ mile I was really thinking I could make it… I saw Kendyl from far off (she wore a bright green shirt which was brilliant on her part though unplanned) so I started waving at her again… as I got closer I saw that she was on one side, and Curt was taking photos on the other, and as I passed her she told me to pick it up, so I did and jogged it home hard – man it was a great feeling to cross the finish line and hear my name! I did it! They gave me a SWEET medal, a cold wet towel, and I went to go meet Curt and Kendyl. She told me I did my run in 35 minutes, so I knew I would be close to the 1.5 hour mark… I went up to the tent (feeling good, no problems at all!) and checked for my name and I saw I had made it in under an hour and a half – 1.28! I couldn’t have been more excited! So then we waited around and chatted, took some pics, enjoyed the moment, and then packed up to leave at around 9:30 a.m. It was so fun… I’ll be looking for another one to do, I think!
When we got home I felt good still, but we decided to take a nap as we had woken up so early… after we woke up I unpacked from Connecticut, did laundry, cleaned the house, and went to a movie with Kendyl (Vicky Cristina Barcelona – good overall though different). Then Curt and I got ready for a dinner with Carrie, Don, Courtney, Adam, Greg, and Greg’s friend Frankie. They came in and we went to dinner at Babin’s, and then headed over to Market Street for dessert. Was great to hang out with them! When we got home Curt and I got ready for bed and watched the Olympics and then hit the hay… what a day!
Enjoy the slideshow!
Love,
Tasha xx
Monday, August 18, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Connecticut...A nice week away
So last week I spent my days in Stamford, Connecticut. Apologies for a delay in posting but I HAD written a nice post for the week that got erased when my hotel internet connection expired – ugh! I just gave up and went to sleep so am now going to attempt to rewrite the post.
I have to say I had some pretty high expectations for Connecticut, though, and in some places they were met but in others not so much. I mean, to start I have always loved Gilmore Girls and love the idea of a "Stars Hollow" existing somewhere - I realize this is a made for TV kind of place, but I was hoping the colonialism would really seep through aspects of the culture here. In some ways it does - I mean I can walk down the street and see a house that was built in 1699, and that is amazing, but there's a lot more industrial influences as well. I mean you pass amazing houses like the below, and then a block away is an apartment that looks like project housing? Downtown is small and semi-sweet, but I just would have thought it would be sweeter somehow?
It was a long journey to get there (fly to Newark, layover, and then a 2 hour train ride) and the train ride allowed me to see some of the “country” along the way. Well scratch country – it was actually pretty industrial looking the whole way there which I didn’t expect, but ok. Connecticut is one of the few states left that I had not been to and even though I realize the picture in my head wasn’t going to be completely accurate, I still couldn't help the image of what towns in Connecticut should look like. I mean for goodness sakes – it’s expensive and people from the city commute back and forth JUST to live there, so surely it would have to knock your socks off to go through that kind of trouble?
Overall the trip was great, and I have resolved myself to keep my eyes open for the Stars Hollow equivalent as in the areas that are less populated I can see the beauty so easily in the landscape and the hills - for instance the corporate campus I was on is just a few miles from my hotel and has a *fantastic* view of the mountains and forests in the distance, so I know if I had the time I could find those gems of places... Their gardens are admirable for sure... plants that don't have a fighting chance in Texas grow that are so beautiful! I was planning on going to the arboretem on Friday but of course it's been pouring rain since 3 p.m. so my plans for this evening were sunk, but oh well! I did have a GREAT time exploring everything within walking distance to my hotel over the week, though... caught a movie (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - loved it), and watched the Olympics every night - sometimes until far too late but gotta love them! So it was good, though was excited to get home!
And my triathlon was on the Sunday! It was a bummer that I had to be flying and traveling up until late on Saturday and I wasn't able to stick as closely to my training schedule (improvising with elliptical and the small free weights at my hotel gym) but was hoping it would be ok. Hilarious story - I specifically chose this hotel because it had a pool, so brought my swimsuit ready to train - I go down to the fitness center/pool area just to see exactly what I had to work with, and LITERALLY the pool is like 15 feet by 10 feet - might as well be a baby pool because I think I could maybe fit 2.5 strokes in before my head hit (or toes in the 4 foot water). So that was out - bogus!
Anyway, I’ll be going to NYC later this year for my uncle’s wedding, so hopefully will have more fun around the area (and this time with Curt and the fam!) and get a chance to go out more as we’ll have a car!
Below are some pictures from my trip!
I have to say I had some pretty high expectations for Connecticut, though, and in some places they were met but in others not so much. I mean, to start I have always loved Gilmore Girls and love the idea of a "Stars Hollow" existing somewhere - I realize this is a made for TV kind of place, but I was hoping the colonialism would really seep through aspects of the culture here. In some ways it does - I mean I can walk down the street and see a house that was built in 1699, and that is amazing, but there's a lot more industrial influences as well. I mean you pass amazing houses like the below, and then a block away is an apartment that looks like project housing? Downtown is small and semi-sweet, but I just would have thought it would be sweeter somehow?
It was a long journey to get there (fly to Newark, layover, and then a 2 hour train ride) and the train ride allowed me to see some of the “country” along the way. Well scratch country – it was actually pretty industrial looking the whole way there which I didn’t expect, but ok. Connecticut is one of the few states left that I had not been to and even though I realize the picture in my head wasn’t going to be completely accurate, I still couldn't help the image of what towns in Connecticut should look like. I mean for goodness sakes – it’s expensive and people from the city commute back and forth JUST to live there, so surely it would have to knock your socks off to go through that kind of trouble?
Overall the trip was great, and I have resolved myself to keep my eyes open for the Stars Hollow equivalent as in the areas that are less populated I can see the beauty so easily in the landscape and the hills - for instance the corporate campus I was on is just a few miles from my hotel and has a *fantastic* view of the mountains and forests in the distance, so I know if I had the time I could find those gems of places... Their gardens are admirable for sure... plants that don't have a fighting chance in Texas grow that are so beautiful! I was planning on going to the arboretem on Friday but of course it's been pouring rain since 3 p.m. so my plans for this evening were sunk, but oh well! I did have a GREAT time exploring everything within walking distance to my hotel over the week, though... caught a movie (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - loved it), and watched the Olympics every night - sometimes until far too late but gotta love them! So it was good, though was excited to get home!
And my triathlon was on the Sunday! It was a bummer that I had to be flying and traveling up until late on Saturday and I wasn't able to stick as closely to my training schedule (improvising with elliptical and the small free weights at my hotel gym) but was hoping it would be ok. Hilarious story - I specifically chose this hotel because it had a pool, so brought my swimsuit ready to train - I go down to the fitness center/pool area just to see exactly what I had to work with, and LITERALLY the pool is like 15 feet by 10 feet - might as well be a baby pool because I think I could maybe fit 2.5 strokes in before my head hit (or toes in the 4 foot water). So that was out - bogus!
Anyway, I’ll be going to NYC later this year for my uncle’s wedding, so hopefully will have more fun around the area (and this time with Curt and the fam!) and get a chance to go out more as we’ll have a car!
Below are some pictures from my trip!
A beautiful Victorian home on the way to downtown from my hotel.
A beautiful home and garden close to downtown (the pic doesn't do it justice).
Some cute giraffe sculptures positioned to be "eating" from a "snowball" bush on the side of an amazing English style house. Not sure of the real name of a Snowball bush but LOVE the look of it and thought it was just so cute with the giraffes!
The beautiful stained glass of the Fish Church - a local site to behold. Talk about amazing... I was in the church alone and it was pitch black save the dim light coming from a rainy outside - was really amazing.
Love,
Tasha xx
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Photos!
So here they are - photos we've taken since my birthday party!
Enjoy the slideshows - tried to break them up so it wouldn't be too long.
Did well training this week and was relatively uneventful overall (in a good way - yea!) and had a great weekend! Enjoyed a wonderful day yesterday with a good workout, a hike to take photos (some featured) but it was SO hot so enjoyed sme time in the pool before we had to get ready for a GREAT concert and picnic evening at Town Green Park. Vicki joined us which was so fun as she is a fan of John Mayer (more than Curt) and it was a perfect summer evening... good food, no crowds, and a relaxing and wonderful evening in the park! See below posts for pics (couldn't put all in one - was having difficulties)!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Love,
Tasha xx
Birthdays & Friends
Enjoy the slideshows - tried to break them up so it wouldn't be too long.
Did well training this week and was relatively uneventful overall (in a good way - yea!) and had a great weekend! Enjoyed a wonderful day yesterday with a good workout, a hike to take photos (some featured) but it was SO hot so enjoyed sme time in the pool before we had to get ready for a GREAT concert and picnic evening at Town Green Park. Vicki joined us which was so fun as she is a fan of John Mayer (more than Curt) and it was a perfect summer evening... good food, no crowds, and a relaxing and wonderful evening in the park! See below posts for pics (couldn't put all in one - was having difficulties)!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Love,
Tasha xx
Birthdays & Friends
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