Look At All Those Fishies!

It's our last full day in Kona and I couldn't leave here without swimming at the pier (the swim course for the IM Championship).  I tried to go on Tuesday, but there was a big cruise ship in from Canada and I just wasn't up for dealing with the exhaust from the boats shuttling passengers back and forth.  So last night, we met some friends from my high school for an awesome home cooked Hawaiian dinner (thank you, Christine!) and her husband, Mike, said there was a big group that would be swimming the half distance at the pier between 7:30 and 8:00 this morning.  


So after staying up until around 2am to watch THE wedding (loved it, by the way), we got up at 6:15 to make the trek down to Kailua Kona.  When we got to the pier someone mentioned that Chris (Lieto) was already out there.  As soon as we dive in, I was giddy because there were just so many colorful fish and coral everywhere for the entire time!  Mike mentioned the water wasn't as clear as usual, but I saw the bottom the whole distance, so I can't imagine how even more beautiful it could be on a "clear" day!  


This was my first open water swim in the wide open ocean.  In Honolulu, I swam within a reef, so I was protected by the big waves.  Luckily, a bunch of fresh water dumps in to this part of Kona, so it wasn't as salty as Honolulu.  The fresh water is about 10 degrees cooler than the salt water so it literally went from warm to cold to warm to cold every few strokes in some spots as the fresh water mixed in.  The waves were tough. Trying to swim straight, when the waves push you sideways definitely makes this swim a challenge, but I was happy with my time despite fighting those waves.  When I got to the turnaround, about 10 other swimmers were just hanging out there.  Apparently, they were just chatting away with Chris Lieto who was finishing his second lap of the FULL distance (going for a 4.8 mile swim?!?!) and telling them how a bunch of dolphins were circling him out there.  I was beginning to feel sick from fighting the waves and told Nick that I was just going to turn around there and not join the little doggy-paddle party they were having.  I sighted off Chris for about 15 seconds (yes, that was awesome), but he swims twice as fast as me so I lost him pretty quickly.


A few minutes from the turnaround, I was really feeling awful and ended up giving the fish my breakfast (I hope they like pineapple).  I've never been seasick and I got sick twice on this trip (something else I need to experiment with before the big day).  So there went the good time I was making as I side kicked and paddled my way back until I felt ok to swim again!   But, it was still a great experience to swim there and pretty miraculous to see all those fish with just a cap and goggles!

Attack of the Lobsters

Ah....vacation time!  It's been 10 months since I took a vacation day that wasn't for the purpose of supporting, watching, volunteering, or training for an IM.  Nick and I really enjoy international travelling, but due to training and all the other time we have to take off this year for training or for our IM events, we decided to stay domestic this year and go to Hawaii (although because HI is only 14% white, I sometimes feel like I'm in a foreign country since a few times I have been the only white girl in the whole restaurant). :)

And, since a lot of the tourists are from the mainland, and are white, they come to Hawaii and turn in to lobsters.  I don't know what it is about sunburns, but when I see hundreds of people walking around with sunburns, it just makes me sad.  I guess I just equate it with negligence.  The sun is a beautiful and necessary, but dangerous, element in our lives and I wonder how people could think they are vulnerable to it.  

Anyway, while I can't get on a bike this week, and I'm still on a break from running while I strengthen and elongate my plantar fascia and ankle muscles, you can't get better swim workouts in than Hawaii!

We wanted to spend a few days in Honolulu.  We hiked up Diamond Head crater first thing in the morning.  It's a short hike, but I at least felt like I got some running fitness in, even though I didn't run.  And, after hitting up the infamous Leonard's Bakery for malasadas and then Rainbow Drive-thru for a plate lunch (we have full intentions of "eating our way through Honolulu" for the 3 days we are here), we headed back to the hotel and went for a swim.  Ala Moana Beach Park is nearby and it's a great place for long distance swimmers.  It's about 1000 yards each way and is completely protected by a corral reef so the water is fairly calm. 

Ala Moana Beach Park

I briefly swam in Aquatic Park in the SF Bay, but this is my first OW swim in the ocean.  I already had great respect for anyone who races in the ocean.  But, now that I've swam in it (and I can't even claim it was the real open ocean), my hats go off to them.  I'm definitely not a fan.  The salt water just gets stuck back in your throat and burns.  I think I stopped at almost every cigarette buoy to cough and spit.  And, I am still lifting my head way too much when I breathe and sight so I was trying to practice that between buoys, which unfortunately, just makes me go slower since I'm concentrating so much on my form.  On the way back, we had a slight current against us, and that was my first time swimming against a current.  I felt messy and sloppy as the water was chopping up my stroke.  But, again, good practice for the Russian River and Tempe Town Lake.

We swam for an hour, which is about how long our weekday pool workouts last.  I typically don't wear sunscreen at the pool as I don't burn during a one hour swim workout.  But, sadly, I turned in to a black kettle this weekend because I ended up getting a Speedo sunburn on my back from that one hour swim (luckily, it's pretty minor).  Now I'm the negligent one.  And, full of embarrassment, I am joining the army of other lobsters running around this resort!  

Resting

I had been having a lot of foot pain ever since the Louie Tri and it was definitely the "Oh this is bad kind of pain" so I finally got an appointment to see the doctor.  She suspected I had a heel spur and plantar fasciitis, ordered me an X-ray, and later confirmed that was the case.  She told me to rest from running for four weeks and prescribed PT.  My guess is that I've had it for years and just didn't know what it was (other than thinking it was just a "getting old" kind of ache) and the increased running really aggravated it.  


I was having a hard time getting a PT evaluation scheduled before I went on my next trip and was starting to feel helpless.  Running is already my weak spot and I was getting extremely antsy about having to miss three weeks of running (with no PT since I was going to be out of town before I could get an appointment) and then have the four weeks of PT after, still unable to run (making it 7 weeks).  Luckily, someone canceled at the last minute on Friday, and I was able to get in for an evaluation and get started on strengthening my feet.  


I am definitely concerned about my running fitness, but willing to do whatever it takes to get better and not let this set me back too much.  I've replaced all the running workouts with strength and core workouts, and it feels great to be able to complete those without having to drive somewhere!  I've also got 45 minutes of daily PT exercises for my feet and have been trying to knock some of those out at my desk while on conference calls.  


I know that skipping the run workouts is allowing me to rest and recover and strengthen those ankles and plantar fascia (can already feel the difference after 3 days). However, I must admit that skipping two weekend workouts has done wonders for my sanity.  Splitting my time physically between a hotel in Los Angeles, Nick's house (more convenient for training), and my house, while attempting to get in 80% of the scheduled trainings, keep up with a demanding client that has little respect for the lunch hour (it's a big deal to me to eat lunch AWAY from my computer), and maintain a personal life is discombobulating and exhausting on all accounts.   It felt so good to not wake up at 6am, drive for 45 minutes to a workout, and then get caught up in the social aspect of training with a team (having fun chit-chatting, grabbing lunch, lallygagging, etc.).  I was actually able to do ALL my laundry, file, get my car serviced, properly unpack and re-pack, clean my kitchen, catch up on the DVR, play on iTunes, and read one of the many magazines piling up on my coffee table, AND get my workout in!  *sigh*  

Sun Devil Spirit

This weekend was the annual Tierra Bella bike ride in Gilroy.  And, it was also the same day as the annual Pat's Run in Tempe (in memory of Pat Tillman).  I really wanted to join my ASU friends for Pat's Run, but Tierra Bella fell on the same day and that took priority from a training perspective.  And, while a lot of my teammates were also riding in Tierra Bella so were some of my friends.  I wanted to ride with them instead of the team, since I rarely get to ride with them anymore.  And, in order to be with my Tempe friends in spirit, I donned my Sun Devil jersey for the day.


It was so great to get so many "Go Devils!" and "Hey Sun Devil!" cheers as people passed me (yes, I get passed a lot). When I got to the first rest stop, one of the volunteers, Leo, saw me and was so excited that he asked to take a picture with me.  He said, "I graduated in '67.  I bet that's before you were born!"  Yep.  

Someone rode by and told me that her daughter was graduating from ASU next month.  Another woman saw me and said her daughter was starting in fall.  I ran into a woman who told me her husband went there and loved it (well, duh!).  A gentleman approached me in the parking lot after the ride was over asking, "Hey when did you go to ASU?  I graduated in '71!"  And, two people came up to me at the second rest stop saying they graduated in '89.  Nick commented that if he ever wore a UC Davis jersey that no one would react that way to him.  And, I replied, "That's because ASU has school spirit!"


So besides all the ASU love I felt out there this weekend, I also had a great ride.  I rode the 60K last year and found it challenging.  This year, I registered for the 100K, which has a healthy climb in the beginning.  Looking at the elevation map, I was nervous, but it ended up being nothing I haven't done before (small victory).  The descent was great and there was even a girl dressed as a skeleton out there with a "SLOW" sign (I guess someone had to get air-evac'ed two years ago since there are some sharp turns), which cracked me up (not the crashing part, but randomly seeing "Death" on the side of the road).  The back half is the 60K course so it was great to ride that again just to see my progress in the past year.  Besides some headwind, which was frustrating, I couldn't believe that I actually thought those 60K "hills" were hard last year.  And, on the way back to the finish, I finally got to feel the benefit of a tailwind, which was awesome!  

It's Time

There has been all kinds of hype and speculation around a social media campaign that the ASU Athletics Department was planning to announce today. Earlier this afternoon, they ended up unveiling a new font and pitchfork logo, but the main change was introducing black to the uniforms.  So being that I AM a Sun Devil and that the IMAZ course goes right by Sun Devil Stadium, I just had to pay tribute to this big change for ASU!

It will take some time to get used to, but I like it a lot.  I don't love the black, even though it looks sharp on a uniform, but I do like the new logo and font. What resonates with me the most is the "It's Time" campaign that surrounded the launch.  Because, just like it was time for ASU to create some new excitement, it was also time for me to do something I always wondered about, but never imagined would happen.  So while I have my struggles here and there from week to week, my pitchforks are still high.  Because it's time.

Homeostasis

Homeostasis:  The ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with external changes


In laymen's terms, it's about staying the same.  It's about how organisms regulate their internal conditions, in order to stabilize health and functioning.  It's why fish move to the bottom of the pond when the top is frozen (since they can't regulate their body temperature). It's why humans smoke or drink or overeat in response to stress.  We're doing what we can to "stay the same" and reach stability (whether perceived or not).


Carbs, sugar, sodium -- these are bad words to me.  Of course, I have been educated that our bodies need these things in moderate amounts. But for the majority of Americans out there, I would guess that not too many of us can eat a bowl of pasta without feeling guilty.  


I never thought I'd see the day where my body started talking to me rather than my head or mind.  But, it is talking to me, and it's asking for all those "bad words" foods.  It didn't take very long to realize those bad words are now absolutely necessary for replenishment.

• Carbs
• Noodles - I assumed I would crave pasta once I started training heavily.  But, it's pretty rare I want pasta/Italian food (GASP!).  However, I do eat a lot of pad see ew and ramen tonkatsu
• Rice - with curry
• Salt - Probably why I've got a hankering for ramen, since the broth replenishes my sodium loss.
• Sugar - While I have always enjoyed ice cream and treats, I wouldn't exactly characterize myself as a sweet tooth.  After a long bike ride on a really hot day, I remember being in a fog and couldn't think straight. And, then someone handed me a Coke.  I drank half of it and I'm pretty sure if my body had a voice, it would have yelled, "You're a goddess!"  On weekend evenings after long trainings, I find myself scrounging through my cupboards or the fridge for anything that remotely resembles sugar -- an apple, a Fruit Chiller, dark chocolate, a yogurt....
• Protein - Chicken, salmon, halibut, and shrimp.  I go through more bags of shrimp than I'd like to admit.     
• Calories - My teammates want to eat In-N-Out after workouts.  I'm not anti-hamburger, and I love In-N-Out, but it's at the bottom of my list after 7 hours of training.  However, I could eat a sandwich from Mr. Pickles every day if I had the opportunity.  Or burritos. 

Now if only I could find a scientific reason to justify why I want avocado on almost everything!   

You Just Do It

I'm not a Nike girl, but I have a new appreciation for the infamous tagline.  We did a beautiful 56 mile road through Sonoma County this weekend.  I feel so fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the country and even more fortunate that I enjoy a productive hobby that gets me outside to appreciate the natural beauty of the Bay Area.  While there is almost always the sound of wind while riding, there are those brief moments where the wind breaks and it's just me, the sound of my wheels in forward motion, and a gurgling stream. And, I relish in those little gifts when I find them.  


Anyway, this weekend's ride was from Santa Rosa through Occidental to Monte Rio, and out to Highway 1 where the Russian River dumps into the Pacific, and then back again.  At mile 9, we had a nice downhill.  But, all I could think about was what a bitch that hill was going to be after 47 miles on the trip back. Another 10 miles later, I thought "gosh this is a challenging ride."  I was probably only at mile 23 or 24 and my knees were already hurting (should hopefully be fixed after I get fitted in a couple weeks), but I wanted to get the full mileage in so Kristie and I decided to keep going to the turnaround.  Those miles near the turnaround were awful!  We were closer to the ocean and the wind was just ripping through us.  My bike was literally moving from side to side (with me on it!).  And, I've got a death grip!  

Kristie and I with locked arms and death grips.

The road curves and now we have a headwind.  Kristie yells, "at least we'll have this behind us on the way back."  So we get to the top of the hill, we've got a view of the ocean, it's absolutely gorgeous, but that wind is whipping fiercely.  And, what do you know?  It turns on us and we now have a headwind on the way back!!!  

Oh if only this picture depicted the
grass blowing almost flat!

There's a slight relief because it's downhill, but there is quite a bit of traffic all of the sudden.  I thought I was going to get knocked off my bike and run over.  I'm going down and thinking, "how am I going to do this."  And all I could tell myself was that I just had to keep going so that I could get out of the wind. There's no other choice. Once we get to the bottom of that hill, we have to cross a bridge over the Russian River.  A gust of wind came, and I literally screamed, and even a few tears came out involuntarily. Yes, it was that scary.  But, again, I just had to keep going to get out of that mess I was in. And, you really do just do it.  Once I was back climbing again on the other side and had the wind protection things were calmer and I was able to release my death grip (note: my hands are still sore today from holding on for dear life).  The next 10 miles or so were pleasant and then the rollers and steady climbing began again.  I forgot my salt pills and was cramping a little.  Our roaming SAG came by at mile 43.  Luckily, Jen had 2 pills that I was able to take and then I was on the home stretch.  I thought that hill would be a bitch on the way back with my sore knees and being so tired, but somehow I found myself at the top of it.  And, after it was over I realized it wasn't so bad.  I was wondering to myself how I just managed to do that, but the only answer was "You just did it."