Ouch!

Ouch...it's what my legs are saying right now.  Why?  Because I finally started training again.  Nick and I both signed up for Pacific Crest this June.  We are training with Team In Training and I'll write another post later on our connection to the Team and the Cause.  

The last six months have been nice.  I got married.  I took several vacations.  I enjoyed every bit of the busy season that comes with the holidays.  I worked late without anxiety that I was supposed to be doing something else.  I didn't exercise as much as I should have, but I worked out when I wanted to.  I did not go to the pool.  And the only run I ever went on was through concourses and airport terminals trying to catch a connection.  

Both my brain and my body told me it was ready to be done with its self-proclaimed sabbatical.  Starting again isn't easy.  No matter what I once did or how far I could once go, it doesn't matter anymore.  Because I can't do that right now.  Yes, there is muscle memory.  And, yes, it will come back eventually.  But it's going to take awhile before I don't feel nervous or anxious before a run or a ride wondering how uncomfortable I will be and playing the mind game to not compare against what I could once do (otherwise I'll just feel awful).  

The one thing I know that has stayed the same is the skewed perspective of distance.  In December, Nick and I were at Pike Place in Seattle and needed to get to Capitol Hill.  We Google-mapped it and I exclaimed, "Oh, it's only 2 miles uphill, let's just walk it.  We'll get there in 44 minutes." So we did.  A few weeks ago I was driving in Minnesota and I was on a small hill.  With most of the area being pretty flat, there was this vast expanse of space and I could see the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.  It looked so very far away.  And then I realized it was only 13 miles away.  I suppose I could run/walk there if my heart desired.  It would hurt, no doubt.  But running/walking 13 miles is still in my vocabulary.

And so another journey begins.  It will be shorter.  But that doesn't mean it will be any easier.

Inspiring Others

Back in March of 2010, both the Bay Area Ironteams were having their training weekend down on the Wildflower course.  At that time, I had only been dating Nick for a few months and he asked if I would come volunteer.  It was very early in the morning.  I was cold, my feet were painfully numb because I forgot socks, and I was tired.  I stood on the shore and watched 50 people plunge into Lake San Antonio.  And, then I saw Jeff.  He removed his leg and literally crawled on his hands and knees across the dock, to get in the water.  And I started crying.  Crying because I was so inspired by what he was doing.  And crying because my numb feet were nothing to complain about.  After the day was over, he introduced himself to me and thanked me for volunteering.  I was too shy (yes, can you believe it?) to tell him how much he inspired me that day. 

Fast forward a year later, after my journey had begun and I was waiting at a left turn to start up Mt Eden when Ironteam flames passed by. It was Jeff training for IMC.  

And, a few weeks ago, we followed Jeff online as he went to Kona.  He crossed the finish line 25 minutes after midnight when most of the spectators had returned to their hotels.  But the president of Gu  was still there.  And, he wrote this wonderful article about Jeff's finish.
http://roctane.com/konas-final-star-jeff-schmidt/

A few months before Arizona, I was riding with Ron, the South Bay coach, and told him about my connection that happened at Wildflower Training weekend the year prior and what an inspiration Jeff was to me.  He told me Jeff would really appreciate hearing that story.  Unfortunately, I haven't crossed paths with Jeff since.  But next time I do, I will tell him. In the meantime, this entry is just another reminder about all the people out there that inspire us and don't even know it.  The ripple effect is amazingly powerful.

Adventures in HK

Before the honeymoon could begin, we made a three day pit stop in Hong Kong as Nick's dad was hosting a reception for us there.  Unfortunately, I forgot my journal.  And as a scrapbooker, I very much like to journal my travels so that way when I do actually get around to putting that scrapbook together (3 years later), I will know what to write on the pages about where I am and what I'm doing.

Anyway, I can't believe it's been so long since I've flown internationally.  Technically, we went to to the Bahamas two years ago, but does that really count?  It's my first trip to HK and I was very excited to finally be in a new international location after two years.  Especially a place that is as big as HK.

The plane ride sucked.  We both had middle seats and we were not together.  We weren't allowed to pick seats until 24 hours before the flight.  And, well, when you host a wedding 36 hours before a flight, you're a little too preoccupied to be thinking about checking in for flights at the 24 hour mark.  Nick tried very hard to get us seats together.  He pleaded to the agents at the counter, the flight attendants, and even the people all around us.  But nobody would budge for the newlyweds.  After all who wants to give up their seat for a middle in coach?

But we landed safely in Hong Kong at 6am.  His dad picked us up and took us to a local diner in Happy Valley.  I tried various things, but my favorite was the French toast concoction with peanut butter in the middle and condensed milk on top.  Technically, it is a snack and not a breakfast food, but it was delicious.

We took naps, showered, went to lunch, and then went to the tailor.  I'd say this was the first time his dad and I had something very much in common -- let's dress Nick!  I thought about getting some items for myself, and maybe I will regret it later, but I have not needed to wear a suit in 7 years.  Nor do I anticipate needing to wear one in the near future.  So I did not get any custom shirts or suits for myself.  After the tailor, we headed to Causeway Bay.  Hansen reminded us of the incredible pork jerky there.  I don't know how describe how a piece of jerky can be so delicious, but it is.

Then we met up with my college friend, Clifford.  We walked around Times Square and the World Trade Center (both malls).

Next we headed to Harbour City (to another mall).  Hong Kong is really just one gigantic shopping mall.  This is not an exaggeration.  We wanted a new camera and I forgot my sunglasses so I needed a pair of those.  After shopping, we walked to a Japanese restaurant for dinner.  This was real sushi.  Not rolls.  Not nigiri.  Not Americanized concoctions with mayonnaise and sauces.  I was a pretty good sport, but I refused to eat the crab and the shrimp head.  Afterward, Nick's friend, Teddy, took us to Ladies Market for more shopping!

The next morning, Nick's aunties surprised us and arrived in HK.  I gave a piece of the jerky to Auntie Irene and she took one bite and said, "Oh, this shit is good."  Yes, the jerky is THAT good!  And, we can't bring it home because it's meat so the only way YOU can ever try how good it is is to visit Hong Kong (Or Singapore because that's where the company is from).

His dad took all of us to breakfast where I tried thousand year old egg congee.  The egg is really quite disgusting looking.  But I didn't look at it.  I just buried it in the congee.  All I can say is that it tastes like a very old egg.  It's really only about 3 weeks old and was preserved in some way that turns it dark brown.

Later we met Jeremy, one of his groomsmen, who took us to dim sum.  Jeremy's words were something like, "I can't attest for the quality and it's probably pretty ghetto, but the place has lots of history."  Yes, I say that summed it up right.  We had to find our own table (communal tables), wash our own dishes in hot water, and hunt down our own food.  

It was also a BYON (Bring your own napkin) restaurant, but we didn't know that.  The food wasn't that great, but in the end, I actually enjoyed the experience.  It was straight out of the 50s or 60s and I could easily picture what it was like back in those days as it was pretty much the same as what we were doing right then.

From there we walked through the wet market and I got to see all sorts of animal parts hanging around.

After walking around Central for awhile, we took the ferry to Kowloon and walked along the Avenue of Stars.  The highlight was meeting Teddy, his brother, and sister-in-law at the Peninsula Hotel for High Tea.  Teddy said that everything changes in Hong Kong, except the Peninsula.  High Tea was SOOO yummy.  The scones were out of this world.  The Peninsula is also known for its chocolates, which were amazing.  I ordered an "iced chocolate" whatever that was.  It wasn't a milk shake and wasn't quite chocolate milk.  But it was delicious.

Next we met Nick's family for dinner and then we headed to the Peak.  I assumed the Peak was this rural place where you get a view of the city.  But I woke up and we're at another shopping mall.  Really?  "The Peak" is also a shopping mall?  And Nick says again, "Everything is a shopping mall here."

The next day we just wanted to rest and get ready for the reception.  Our reception was held on the 49th floor of the American Club.  The view was fantastic.  

It was my first exposure to the Asian way of weddings.  You meet lots of "aunties" and "uncles" and take pictures with everyone.  You shake a lot of hands.  A toast is made and then it's over.  The guest shows up to be seen.  It's not like American weddings where you have to shut the party down, kick everyone out, and then resume partying at the after party.

The next morning we left on an early flight to Bangkok.  We arrived at the airport and realized our flight was  an hour later than we expected so we had some extra time to kill.  I received a text from my mom saying she was in the HK airport.  My parents were traveling to Thailand to attend the Thai reception, but I thought they were traveling the following day.  So we found my parents in the terminal and they were on the flight we thought we were on!  However, we had similar layovers in BKK so we met them again on the other side and then they headed to Koh Samui and we head to Phuket.  

I loved Hong Kong.  And, I look forward to exploring it more next time we go back for more than just three days!

We Do!

About 9 days ago, Nick and I both said, "I do!"  It was a whirlwind leading up to the wedding and for the week after, but we are now on a remote island in Thailand and have time to breathe.  I know people will give me crap for updating a blog while on my honeymoon. But we get back this weekend and I have to be in Minneapolis on Monday, then a wedding next weekend, back to Minneapolis, then an offsite in Palm Springs for work, then another wedding, then back to Minneapolis for two weeks, then Ironman Arizona (to cheer, of course) and by then Turkey Day will have arrived.  So yes, excuse me for updating my blog while on my honeymoon.  My lovely husband is sitting right next to me as I do this (how great that sounds...).

The wedding was amazing.  Everyone said it would go by fast, which it did.  But I'd like to say I was pretty calm and collected for all of Saturday.  Thursday and Friday were a little stressful.  But wedding day was nearly perfect.  And, the parts that weren't perfect, others didn't notice anyway.  The imperfections were related to the staff, which I can't do anything about (other than we didn't give them their tips). 

On Thursday, we hosted a BBQ for all our friends and family that arrived early.  I also had some wonderful friends come in and help do lots of last minute preparations.  Friday was Nick's birthday.  Sadly, he did not want a groom's cake.  But I just couldn't help myself.  So I used his birthday as an excuse to get him what could easily be considered a groom's cake and had it delivered by some friends to the restaurant earlier that day.  There's a whole backstory behind this cake that I won't get into (missing ice packs, 90 degree weather, stuck in a trunk, etc.).  Therefore, getting this cake from the baker in San Jose to the rehearsal dinner restaurant in Dublin without Nick finding out AND without it melting was by far the most stressful part of the entire weekend.  And, yet it had nothing to do with the wedding.  Go figure.  Thankfully, it did not melt and it turned out awesome.

Of course, bicycles were an underlying theme to the wedding.  Our Save the Dates were a balloon with a vintage bicycle.  

Our invitations and RSVPs had bicycles.  Many of our guests "creative" replies included cute notes or pictures or poems about swimming, biking, or running.  

Our table numbers were various bike routes we had ridden.  

I searched for a cake topper that wasn't something I'd never use again (such as a cake topper).  Someone at the bicycle company where I am consulting suggested an ornament.  Genius!  It took a while to find one that wasn't chintzy, but I finally did and it's something we can keep and actually use every Christmas now.

Our guestbook also had a bicycle on it. I couldn't find a design that wasn't a tandem bike, but it's still cute anyway.

 

The only thing we didn't have was an actual bicycle.  I figured there was no way I was going to get on one in my dress, so why bother. :)

I was a little surprised at how many people asked us why we used bicycles as a theme.  Well....we like riding bikes.  And we like wine.  So we had a bicycle themed wedding at a winery.  Seems to make perfect sense to us.

The Kitchen Sink

For three years now, I have been wanting to try SF Creamery's Kitchen Sink.  It's a triathlete's nightmare -- eight scoops of DAIRY deliciousness covered in whipped cream!  One thing I learned in all this training business over the past few years is how my body reacts to food.  While I am not ready to admit that I am lactose intolerant, I am definitely borderline.  After months of various trials of omitting dairy or gluten or soy, I found the culprit was soy (and feel 10 times better now that I gave up edamame and tofu and soy milk).  And dairy was a close second.  

Because it was my birthday and we weren't traveling, I asked Nick to organize a Kitchen Sink for me!  Before heading to the ice cream parlor, we met some friends for dinner at Pyramid.  It is the first time I have ever been surprised with a birthday candle floating in a beer!

The Kitchen Sink is a food competition -- 8 scoops of ice cream, 8 toppings, 3 bananas, and lots of whipped cream -- to be eaten in 30 minutes or less -- by one person.  It was featured on Man vs Food.  The fastest time is 8 minutes.  I'm not sure how this is even possible.  Sedonia was all ready to put together a cheering squad and race plan for me.  However, as much as I thoroughly enjoy ice cream, I'm not willing to put my body through that turmoil.  So with the help of 5 other friends (3-4 which are lactose intolerant) we enjoyed the Kitchen Sink.

We got a big fat DNF.  But we had fun trying!

No More Training

The Olympics are over, the bachelorette party was awesome, and I don't have to travel back to Minneapolis for three weeks!  

On Saturday, I took my first bike ride in over 32 months without a pending race on the calendar.  It meant riding for no reason.  It meant riding because I wanted to ride and not because I needed to ride or should ride.  And, despite only being an 18 mile ride, it wasn't easy as my body just hadn't done it in awhile.  I'm not going to say it was hard.  But it was a swift kick in the butt.  I had been on the trainer, but hadn't ridden outside since Vineman.  

And...I joined a gym!

I have been without a gym membership for awhile.  I kept my gym membership when I lived in Mountain View because it was so cheap.  But in reality, the outdoors had been my gym for the past two years.  When I moved, I canceled my membership.  And, since I don't have any races on the calendar, it was time to finally join a gym again.  It means I am now "working out" or "exercising" and I'm no longer "training."  As a sidenote, I always thought it was funny when my mom would leave me a voicemail on a Saturday morning and say, "Hello.  Where are you?  You must be exercising or something."  Yes, Mom.  I guess I was just exercising on that 78 mile bike ride.  

Anyway, I find it ironic that the first thing I did as soon as I joined was take a spin class.  But, you know, sometimes you just have to start somewhere and that just felt like the right segue for me.  It's not that the gym is scary.  But it's change. And, it will take awhile to get back into that gym groove.  

Awhile back we took engagement photos...something I did not want to do.  I thought the whole concept of engagement photos was silly and just another one of those wedding industry "must haves" that someone made up randomly one day as a way to make people spend more money.  However, our photography package included the photos.  She said that it was just as much for her as it was for us.  When couples don't take photos, they find the wedding pictures more awkward as the couple is not as comfortable with the photographer or the camera.  I cannot believe I actually took engagement photos wearing lycra and spandex.  But I did.  We actually had a lot of really cute bike ones, even a few of us riding, but these are the two we liked best.  

Olympic Swims

I was hoping the Olympics would inspire me to feel like swimming again, but nope.  Not yet.  I am avoiding Facebook to prevent spoilers.  I am quite glued to the TV and staying up late every night to watch.  Swimming and gymnastics are my two favorites and they are almost over.  Although, I am grateful to the invention of the DVR and how efficient my Olympic watching has become!  

This post is really about something that happened three years ago -- after Phelps broke records in Beijing and his pot smoking scandal debuted.  Santa Clara Swim Club, the club that taught me to swim, has been hosting the Santa Clara International for the past 45 years!  It is a great swimming facility for little ol' Santa Clara.  As a sidenote, Sedonia swam here, too, but we didn't know each other during those swim days since she's such a spring chicken.  

Anyway, my friend, Dennis, volunteers at the event and scored two coach's passes to be on the pool deck.  Nick and I were not dating yet, but he was the obvious choice to invite (probably my only friend that even cared about swimming at the time).  

Since I have swimming on the brain, I figured I would head to the "archives" and pull out some pics from this hometown event.  

Nick showing off his pass

Stephanie Rice

Kirsty Coventry in the Longhorns cap

Getting ready to warm up....that's his body guard in the black shirt not really paying attention to him

Phelps in the warmup pool

Walking out for the 100M free (there is no zoom on this folks!)

My highlight -- Ryan Lochte and Brent Hayden

Notice how much buffer he is these days compared to 3 years ago.  If you saw any of the interviews, he said he was so disappointed after Beijing that he changed his workout and began focusing on strength training (and it shows).

Thank goodness he grew out of this silly mustache phase

Summer Sanders interviewing Phelps (he got silver).  When is Summer going to replace Andrea?  I'm tired of her dumb questions.

Phelps and Hayden on the podium