Hiking the Pleasanton Ridge

Nick and I both had a 2 hour hike on our training calendars this past Sunday so we headed to Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.  Nick said you could run over a marathon here and never cross the same trail.  Here are some pics I captured.

A spider web tunnel

Baby cows

I nicely asked this cow to "come here"

And she did.  She was totally posing for the camera.

I wanted to pet her, but Nick advised against it.

The ridge runs along the 680, which makes for a very pretty commute.

My boo

Pleasanton/Dublin to the northeast

Despite the Bay Area being as crowded as it is, I'm so appreciative a 10 minute drive within city limits can  let me talk to free-roaming cows and enjoy such beautiful views.

Dose of Reality

I've been thinking a lot about my lack of training for Lavaman and what I'm going to do about it.  My worst case scenario is that I will go to Lavaman, it will hurt, I will finish, and it will scare the bejeezus out of me that I will push everything aside to train for Vineman.  So I've just been floating along on this fairy tale for a few weeks....


My schedule was busy last year.  It included being gone for hours every Saturday and Sunday at a team workout.  And, it included a very stressful work situation.  This year, my stress levels are much much lower (without that pressure of Ironman), but I don't remember ever being so busy with so many scheduled appointments.  I had a minor freak out and listed all of the things that are invading my life right now.  Nick said, "Some thing has to give and maybe it should be training."  To which I replied, "Well, it basically already is."


I spent a lot of last year saying, "no" or "not now."  A lot of things queued up.  Things that were on hold for over a year.  I got a hall pass named Ironman that allowed me to neglect other commitments.  And now that backlog has to be worked through.  Between being a chapter advisor at Santa Clara U, Treasurer for the alumni chapter (really trying to find a replacement here), a board member for Women In Trade, traveling every other week for work, commuting back and forth to Dublin when I am home, attempting to move to Dublin, dealing with what to do with my house, and then all of the appointments with photographers, florists, caterers, dress shops, etc., I'm lucky if I get in three workouts a week.  And, it is pretty much just the bike or strength because those are most convenient and efficient in this time-crunched schedule.  


This past weekend, Sedonia asked if anyone wanted to ride the Silverado Trail.  Nick had coaching commitments in the East Bay, I knew I needed to ride, and there was a place in Napa that was trying to set me up for a "cake tasting" which I kept putting off because I really had no time to go to Napa.  It was a trifecta.  I didn't need to ride the entire 55 miles the IMCDA folks were doing so I set out for 45 miles/3 hours.  I hadn't ridden more than 20 miles since November.  I figured 45 miles would be a piece of cake.  I felt fine.  The weather was great.  Napa is always beautiful.  But after 2 hours, I was ready to be done.  I came to the conclusion that a 2 hour bike ride is the optimal ride.  Luckily, that last hour was occupied by riding with Tony Bologna for a few miles and then Sedonia for the rest of the way.  


Thinking I felt great, I wanted to do a quick 10 min run after the ride.  The pain in my psoas and upper glutes during that puny 10 minute run was enough to scare the bejeezus out of me.  I had to walk every 30 seconds.  And, now that I have had that dose of reality, I have to figure out what I can give.  The wedding vendor stuff is almost all behind us, which will be a big help.  And, in seven days, I get to be home for two weeks, which will give me easy access to a pool and bike.  I am not looking to "race" in Lavaman because this really is just for fun and a vacation (we're not even bringing our own bikes).  But, if I'm going to enjoy it, I need to be doing a lot more than I am now so the pain is "normal" race pain and not, "Holy crap, what the eff is going on" kind of pain.


These next seven days are going to be pretty futile when it comes to workouts.  But after this stretch is over, I have 4 weeks before Lavaman.  My coach says it is time for Stella to get her groove back.  I sure hope so.

From the Change Tent to the Dressing Room

One of the skills of triathlon is the ability to change from the swim to the bike or the bike to run with an elevated heart rate.  For Ironman, I knew I was changing my bottoms (as a back-of-the-packer, I chose comfort over speed since it was going to be such a long day) and I enlisted Sedonia's help a few times to practice my swim to bike change.  Lucky for me, she ended up being in the Women's Change Tent and got to help me dress at IMAZ.

Since my bridal party is all over the country, it seemed appropriate to ask Sedonia to accompany me dress shopping.  She texted, "Let's just hope the dressing room at the store is less chaotic than the changing tent in Arizona."  


In true triathlon fashion, she showed up with a "Special Needs" bag complete with electrolytes, water (because clear and copious is good), candy, kleenex, Wet Ones, Goldfish, champagne (because Mama Yosh said it was time to celebrate), Laffy Taffy (for the jokes of course) and lip balm (because every Special Needs bag needs lip balm).  There was also a self-inflating whoopee cushion, which really served no purpose other than providing lots of entertainment.  

Sh!t [insert anything here] Say

Anyone who spends any little bit of time on Facebook or YouTube knows the "Sh!t People Say" videos have gone viral.  *Most* of them are funny.  When I saw Sh!t Cyclists Say, I knew it would only be a day or two before someone came out with Sh!t Triathletes Say.  Racergirl came out with one that is so-so.  But Trisports.com did one that is hilarious!  

And, yesterday, a friend posted Sh!t ASU Students Say.  It is embarrassing (if you are a Sun Devil like me), hilarious, and oh so true.  You might wonder how I managed to get a quality education out of that school, but I did and so did many of my friends (of course we were Business or Engineering majors and NOT Communication majors). :)

But my favorite is a toss up between Sh!t Guys Don't Say....

 and Sh!t Nobody Says...

Splish Splash

I feel like I'm a child and getting all of my "firsts" documented.  Except that instead of it being a first smile or first step or first tooth, it's every first post-Ironman milestone.  It should be second nature.  It should not be noteworthy.  And, it definitely shouldn't be worth a blog entry.  However, unfortunately, it is.  This weekend, I finally got back in the water.  I can now say I have had my first run, my first ride on the road, and my first swim.  %It only took me 2 whole months!%

I met Maria at Cal High in San Ramon.  They have a great facility and the place was hopping.  The lanes were full and the diving team was practicing a bunch of drills.  It was good entertainment during rest intervals.  I know everyone says we *need* the rain, but I will gladly take advantage of these beautiful days. The dwindling Speedo tan lines made a re-appearance after 70 minutes in the water.  

Some people come off a race and jump right in again.  I know others that did not swim or get on their bike for over a year after their race.  I'm not sure what puts us in that camp.  I really don't understand how our brains and bodies fight something so inane. But they do.  And, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one.  Hopefully now that all three of my "firsts" have been achieved, my brain will be a little more cooperative.

Gonna Make You Sweat

Bikram yoga -- I finally tried it!  Hypothesis?  It sucked.  First off, I didn't know I was going to bikram today so I didn't have the proper attire.  I had my regular gym clothes and it was just too much clothing.  I walked in and thought, "Wow, it's really hot in here."  And, then I said to myself, "Duh!"


75 minutes of yoga in the heat did a number on me.  Yoga has always made me cry involuntarily.  My only guess is that it is all the toxins being released out of my body. I have had the same kind of cry for no reason on a really hard climb on my bike before. If I cry, I know it was an intense workout.  A lot of times I cry in savasana. Today, I was crying in child's pose after triangle.  Puh-lease!  With all of the training I have done over the past year, I can't say that I have ever needed to puke.  I almost did tonight.  


It wasn't fun.  I felt very inadequate.  My heart rate was racing and I really could not get it to calm down.  Even after I walked to my car, drove to the hotel, and got back to my room -- it was still revving.  But, I don't doubt that it shocked my body and it was a very good workout.  So I would do it again.  And, I would wear shorts and a tank top.  

Gear Snob Alert

It never fails that I forget at least one thing when I travel.  Sometimes it's as simple as toothpaste or sunglasses or my iPod. When I forgot my tennis shoes, I resorted to a barefoot workout.  But this week it was my sports bra.  And, well, there really is no alternative without one.  Luckily, Dick's Sporting Goods is less than a mile from my office so I ran up there tonight after work to buy one.  I walked out of that store wondering when I became such a snob of workout apparel.  The entire store is Nike and Reebok.  I don't doubt that it's great for gym-goers and yogis.  Maybe the apparel can work for runners.  Shoes?  No way.  Sports bras?  Atrocious.  I bought one because beggars can't be choosers.  But, I left thinking about all the people that love stores like Dick's or Sports Authority and how much they don't know what they are missing.