Nerves of Steel?

So...

Last night I dreamed of NOTHING but Sunday's race. I can't say they were entirely comfortable dreams, but anxiety 3 dayd before? Yeesh...

Regardless, it's gonna be awesome!! Yay Team Tri-Oomph!

Tri Fashion!

Though some of you may find it quite silly, I'm VERY excited about the cycling jerseys for the Rogue Women's Tris. I won't go so far as to be "that girl" and wear them on race day, but you can bet that I'll be sporting these sweet tops on some long rides this Fall and Spring.

The funniest part is that I would NEVER buy these things. It's just that THANKFULLY, I won't have another cotton race tee to add to my ever-expanding collection. I mean, there have been a few keepers, but who want to wear this nonsense?

And, if you were wondering what you should wear this weekend, take a minute to read this. :-)

http://www.tri247.com/article_1530.html

FOUR MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

JITTERS!!!

I am so freaking excited, guys. Despite a number of nagging injuries (wrist, back, butt) I am 110% excited about this weekend. I am so excited, in fact, that my tri bike has been "sleeping" in the bedroom the last few nights. My boyfriend is slightly appalled, but hey, he isn't the one carrying me 12 miles this weekend. :-)

As is often the case, I began looking at other races that I might be able to squeeze in between now and Sweet & Twisted. I found the Temple Tri : http://www.ci.temple.tx.us/index.asp?NID=826. Anyone game??? It's only 40$! I did a similar race last year and finished top in my age group, earning a gold medal which I gave to my parents. I am pretty sure they thought I'd won an Olympic medal!

To add to my jitters, my boyfriend's company party is on Saturday at, of all places, Schlitterbahn! Let's see how well I can stay hydrated, rested and un-burnt on the day before my race...

Mild Freak Outs...

Sooooooo...

I'm moving this week and I am terrified that some important, race-related item (think: body glide!) will get lost in the shuffle. My "race stuff" box, I've decided, is being packed tonight and placed directly in my car so there's no chance of it being misplaced. So I have that going for me!

Next item: my back. It hurts and it's hurt for days. (PLEASE, OH PLEASE Barton Springs. Work your medicinal healing magic tonight and release this grisly knot of pain in my shoulder!) Yeah, so now I'm addressing the pool. It's very possible that I'm losing my mind...

Ladies of Tri-Oomph, I know we had some issues with the Springs on Saturday, and that's OK. Rest assured that tonight, you'll swim like the little aquatic creatures you're made to be. Check it out:

"Human babies are born fat, whereas all other primate babies are born lean. Human babies can swim from the moment of birth. Other primate babies cannot. Human babies not only float but also, after being born submerged, can swim under their own power, holding their breath until reaching the surface. In the water, the human baby is not helpless. From the moment of birth on, the human baby can swim alongside its mother." -from "The Aquatic Ape" by Captain Paul Watson

Oh yeah, I need to get on my race bike THIS WEEKEND. I repeat, MUST RIDE THIS WEEKEND. Veloway. Saturday. 7AM. Short run after. Be there or be square/unprepared. Ha!

When in Rome...

Now that all of you are getting into the triathlete mindset, it's time you learned the lingo!

Check out this link.

Eight Days of Foggy Workout Memories

June 3: Steph II and I went for what was her first run in years. We did the 1st Street-Pedestrian Bridge Loop (1.5 mi). She did a great job, even sprinting half of the bridge just because I told her she had to. :-) We stretched and cooled down afterwards. My knee was a bit sore - I left my good shoes at work and had to run in old, blown out shoes.

Rule #1: Keep your gear in order.

June 4: Sharanya, Itisha, Steph II and I met up to swim at Stacy Pool. As you can tell from Sha's previous post, it was utter chaos. We all managed to get a decent swim in, though not without being grossed out a bit. I don't know exact distances, but hey, we made it in the pool!

Rule #2: Tinted goggles make it easier to ignore what's lurking on the bottom of the pool.

June 7: My boyfriend was kind enough to ride the Veloway with me, being so kind as to wait until halfway through the last lap before he took off an left me in the dust. He is a much faster cyclist, with a combination of natural ability and much nicer bike than my peugeot. We did 4 laps (12.4 miles) at a 15.3 mph pace. Not so bad for my first time on the bike in 2 months! We saw so much lovely wildlife while riding and it even sprinkled on us. It was a nice ride.

Rule #3: Ride the Veloway early to see bunnies and raccoons.

June 9: I made plans to swim with Steph II at Stacy, but a bit of personal drama left me apologizing for not being able to join her in the water. After spending a little while at home collecting myself, I received a text from Steph saying that she "Swam 5 laps without stopping!" So, I raced out of the house and down to the pool to get in what swimming I could in the last 15 minutes of pool hours. Itisha was finishing up her laps when I arrived and we chatted briefly before I began my maniacal 15 minutes of swimming. I swam 5 freestyle laps in under 7 minutes. It was awesome! I did a few more laps of drills until the whistle blew. I'm so glad that I went!

Rule #4: Sometimes the perspective you're looking for is just below the surface of the water.

Today calls for a swim AND a run. Oy.