Shoe Guts

I was organizing the garage the other day and laughed when I opened this box full of insoles and shoelaces.  I knew this was around somewhere, but forgot about it.

When either of us gets new running shoes, we change out the insoles and sometimes the laces. Every 6 months or so, we accumulate new pairs without "re-assembling" the pairs that have since been de-commissioned, which results in this:   

That's over $1000 in sneakers!  I think I might need to update our insurance premiums.... 

Of course, now that I found the box of shoe guts, I can actually reassemble the old pairs that were missing their innards and drop them off at Sports Basement where they will be collected and sent to Central America or Africa!  

Thankful Thursdays

My friend, Bryn, writes Thankful Thursdays.  These posts always make me smile.  I've done the gratitude journal before and then quickly lose discipline in writing every day.  So here's a new twist on the attitude of gratitude and things that happened this week for which I am thankful.

Fri - Ranch 99 - where I can buy things like spring roll wrappers, curry paste, gai lan and CP Wonton Noodle.  Plus, it's the only place in the world where an entire aisle is dedicated just to soy sauce.  Yep, the ENTIRE aisle!

Sat - Fresh local dungeness crab and 20% off Sports Basement coupons

Sun - Deveined shrimp (I bought veined once.  I'll never do it again.)

Mon - Another week of no traveling/airports

Tues - Getting in a good spin workout without ever leaving the house

Wed - 90 minute track workout (which I didn't want to go to, but was glad I did) followed by Rubio's.  I love that place and they are sparse in this neck of the woods (but near our track workouts so maybe that should be my motivation for going to team track workouts)

Thur - My coworker, Michael, who troubleshooted some "uncomfortable" areas of SAP with me today via Skype for over two hours 

What I Didn't Miss

Successfully completed my first week of official training.  I made it back to the pool for the first time in 8 months and made it to a coached track workout (any track workouts I did before were on my own and never with coaches).  I found some new ab and arm muscles thanks to Saturday's core workout.  Unfortunately, we didn't get on our bikes this week as some of the teammates don't have bikes yet, but I did get on the bike trainer on my own.  

This past week, I was reminded of a few things I didn't miss such as having to do more laundry and having tech tees and bike shorts and bathing suits hanging out to dry around the house.  But the main thing I begrudged was all the extra showering.  Don't get me wrong...I like to shower.  But there is no, "I'm going to take a quick shower" option for me.  The shower, itself, is fast.  But the post-shower business is a time suck.  If you didn't know already, I am part lizard.  The dermatologist has reminded me several times that I cannot use lotion in a pump and only the stuff that you can "scoop" is good enough for me.  Therefore, there is no way I can take a shower without then taking the time to dump my hand in a bin of Cetaphil and slather away.  I can't even think about not moisturizing my feet or they will be sure to punish me when they start cracking the next day. And, of course, we have to stay young, so there is the toning, serum, anti-wrinkle, moisturizer, eye cream ritual that must occur (although I guess that would be happening anyway with nightly ablutions).  But, even worse than the whole lotion routine is dealing with the hair -- the detangling, combing, anti-frizz, brushing, routine.  You're not supposed to wash your hair every day.  Let alone twice a day.  I am very aware that working out in the morning would be an easy solution to this issue.  Not only am I a night owl, but being back on a team environment equals evening workouts.

But, I suppose I can handle dry skin and messy dry hair in exchange for helping fight cancer. 

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.