Bike bike bike bike bike, repeat. And run, too.

I know many of my friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors, strangers, dogs, kids, etc etc all think that I am a broken record when it comes to talking about my hobby.  Yes, my hobby of triathlon.  Mainly the run and bike portion, although when the weather warms up and open water swimming season starts, that will again gain some momentum.  For now, though, much talk is of running and biking.  The talk seems to trend toward biking, because of the mass of equipment that biking entails, and the constant upgrading of every single part of the bike and clothing and gear that can (will) occur, the longer a person bikes.  Not to mention how many routes there are that are needing to be ridden and discussed ad nauseum.

When I first started training for a triathlon, I owned the following equipment:
Skechers tennis shoes
Crappy sports bra
Cotton tee shirt, shorts and socks
Giant Mountain Bike that weighs about 47 pounds, that has toe cages.  No spare tube or tire changing kit.
Olde helmet.  Yes, with an e, it was that olde.
That is it!
I must say, I did just fine the first season, in fact, I did really well.  It's not about the equipment, but the engine!

After one season, I owned the following equipment:
Asics Gel running shoes
Lycra tri shorts and top
Less crappy but still crappy sport bra
Sunglasses (cheap!)
Cannondale road bike with clips, and Shimano mountain bike shoes with cleats.
Better helmet.
Bike gloves.
Bike shorts, one pair.
Wetsuit
One swimsuit.
Goggles, one pair.

And now, here I am entering season FIVE:
Full sleeve wetsuit (shopping for a sleeveless now!)
3 pairs of goggles (but I need new ones!)
Timing chip strap for the ankle
Uncountable swimsuits
Squid lid for cold swims.
Neoprene foot covers for cold swims.
Earplugs.
Brooks Defyance 3 running shoes, new pair every ~350 miles.
Brooks trail running shoes for cross training.
Tons of specialty running socks in fabrics that assure my feet are cushioned and comfy no matter what.
Speed laces.
Race number belt.
Fuel belt 4-bottle bottle holder for long runs.
Spibelt for carrying stuff on runs.
Tons of much better sports bras.
Long running bras for long runs. (A must for comfort on long runs!)
Hand held water bottle with zip pocket for long runs.
Long sleeved running shirts in many combinations of thickness and warmth.
Running/cycling vest x 3.  Black, Orange AND yellow.  You just can't be safe enough.
Headlamp for night time runs.
Yak Trax for icy or snowy runs.
Garmin 301 (my second one)
Timex Ironman watch (number 4)
2 visors, tons of hats
Fleece ear covers
Running gloves
Running capris, multiple pairs.
Running tights, two pairs.
Running shorts, lots.
HOLY CRAP, REALLY, ALL THIS?  I AM NOT EVEN DONE YET.
Ipod and earphones (on my 2nd protective case and 4th set of earphones)
Pinarello FP3 carbon fiber bike, to which I have added a standard double and new rear cassette (new wheels you say, ok, coming soon I hope!)
Bike pump.
Tool bag for bike.
Triathlon transition bag.
Newer helmet (but oh, there's one I covet....it's so cute....)
Long gloves x 2 in two different thicknesses
Short gloves x 3
Jerseys, oh, lots and lots of jerseys
Bike shorts, so many.  Oh, so many.  I am currently in love with bib shorts for the muffin top reduction they offer.
Bike socks in cute patterns and with catchy phrases written on them.  I currently enjoy my rainbow unicorn ones and the ones that say "Bitch".
Sidi bike shoes.
New pedals to go with the shoes.
Rear double water bottle holder for half ironman races.
Taillights, headlights
Road ID (crucial!)
Jackets and coats in many thicknesses and levels of waterproofedness (is that a word?)
Rain pants
Wind pants
Knee warmers
Arm warmers x 2 (lycra, wool)
Ear covers x 3
Hat for under helmet
Water bottles, many many many. They need their own apartment by now.
Bike trainer
Sunglasses with interchangable lenses in 3 different tints.
Tri suits, 3? 4?  I lose count. I try to forget that I have to wear these once in a while.
Shoe covers for cold, wet rides
Assorted hand and foot warmer inserts.
Gel, gu, bars, electrolytes.....on and on and on.
Lubes:  at least 3 types of chamois cream, embrocation for cold rides, body glide
Cowbell!  Always need more cowbell!

The minute I post this, I am sure more things will occur to me.  I created this list from just a quick glance around my sports piles.  Ha!  It is taking over my house!! 

The scary thing is that there is so much more I can add to enhance my triathlon collection.....first I must find a money tree or (gulp) a job.  Luckily both LUNA Chix and LUNA Sport will be supplying me with some new garb in the upcoming weeks.....now, who wants to go swim, bike or run?

Today's Life: Couch Potato

My mom called me last night when I was deep in REM sleep to inform me that their entire vacation party had been evacuated from their Waikiki hotel due to a tsunami. It was very surreal....I was not quite sure what had happened but I knew they were safe and she told me there had been a big earthquake in Japan.  Then I went back to restless sleep.

By the time I woke up, I was not feeling well....very upset stomach, but no "symptoms" beyond just feeling bad.  I had to cancel my three-hour bike ride, which was a big bummer, as today was the only dry day for a while.  I hit the couch and spent a good portion of the day watching MSNBC, CNN, reading a book, messing around on my computer, and napping.  I kept food down.  I drank liquids.  I didn't have a fever.  Not sure why I felt crappy, there was nothing glaringly wrong about me...if I were a kid, I would have had to go to school.   Maybe I just needed to spend some down time, not running errands, cleaning, sorting, exercising, etc etc.  It was my body's way of saying SLOW THE HELL DOWN!

<Of course, I am trying to gather energy to go out with a bunch of friends in Seattle tonight.  I don't think I'll be the life of the party, but I will at least be at the party.>

I have been having a lot of doubts about RAMROD today....probably because I missed some good training....but wondering if it is worth it to ride so much just for the sake of one really long day.  I'll continue thinking about that, and won't make any rash decisions.  I am fortunate to have the support of the RAMROD organizers to choose what I want to do, and will have a bed at Wildwood if I want, or a slot in the ride....so I am not under any crazy pressure, thankfully. 

I am not a good couch potato.  I can't believe how much of one I used to be.  One day and I have had it!!  Let's hope whatever it is will be gone by tomorrow so I can have a full weekend of workouts!  Obsessed.  Yes.

Oh, really, I am so freakin' happy for you...really, I am.

This is where first I write that the "you" I am writing about is not actually YOU who is reading this.  And individually I am happy for the people I am going to refer to...however...as a group, well, I am really not that happy for YOU and you will see why.  Read on.

Facebook.  The bane of my existence.  I try to stay away, but like a moth to a flame, I am addicted to the constant flow of generally unimportant information, links, photos from people that I may know from my neighborhood, or from 2nd grade, 30 moves ago.  I like being a voyeur, I do.  I am looking at YOUR photos, for sure, just keeping tabs on YOUR day-to-day life and generally being amused and entertained by what you post.  And thank you.  Please keep that up.

However....as a person who has battled her weight forever..F-O-R-E-V-E-R..and one who works out anywhere from 8-20 hours per week (yes, it is true, and not just "work out" by watching a sitcom while walking on the treadmill, but more likely running for two hours or cycling up a mountain all day) I am tired of hearing about people's miraculous weight loss.    I also watch my intake, logging every morsel of food I consume, weighing my snacks, making sure to get a rainbow of fruits and veggies daily, eating organic, whole foods as much as possible...and yet...still my body wants to be right where it is.  I have a solid frame and solid is where I am apparently meant to exist in this world.  What makes me crazy is to see people who suddenly start an eating plan and drop from a size 14 to a size 2 in a matter of hours. "Finally I am in my grade school pants!".  "Wow, I can finally shop at Gymboree for myself!"  I am not upset that they are losing weight, that in itself is awesome.  I am not upset that some people's bodies, once exposed to exercise and proper nutrition, respond by shrinking.  I am upset that my own goddamn body refuses to budge.  I can drop 20 pounds and my jeans go from snug to not-quite-as-snug.  I can't recall the last time I had to throw out pants "because I was swimming in them".  I am definitely smaller than I was a few years ago, I get that.  But in the big picture, I weigh more than the average woman, and can also probably wrestle the average women and win many times over. But that is not my goal.  I want to see myself in a photo and not go "geez, my muffin top is awful" or "crap, I have huge tits"....the stuff that is apparently here to stay...stuff I don't want.  The comments from skinny or flat-chested friends "oh, I'll take your extra" is a nice offer, but until they have some sort of magical surgery to transfer breast tissue from one person to another with no recovery time for the price of a case of beer, it ain't gonna happen....I do appreciate knowing you are willing to help me out, though.

So YOU, YOU who has lost 50 pounds a month on the HCG protocol or Nutrisystem or even gone on Biggest Loser....yes, I am happy for you.  But it's not fair, really, is it?

How to love a book

Oh, Adrian Colesberry.  I do love you, in a strictly platonic way, of course.  I first glanced at your book "How to Make Love to Adrian Colesberry by Adrian Colesberry" when in Portland over a year ago, but I didn't buy it.  I came across it a few months later at a local bookstore, and decided that it was meant to be, so I purchased it.

I have now read it at least three times, mostly in one sitting each, as it is the type of book that is impossible to put down.  I am not doing a book review here, so I am not going into details.  Suffice it to say, it is the funniest dirty book I have ever read, and I laughed my ass off each time I read it.

Fast forward a couple of months ago.  On a whim, I sent a friend request on Facebook to Mr. Colesberry, and a couple of days later, he accepted it!  That made me so happy, especially when I perused his page and realized that it was not a fan site, but his actual own page, with tags of him in high school, comments posted to and from him to other people's pages, etc.  Wow, he is a REAL person!  And I keep on talking about his book to friends, finally promising to loan it to my friend Janet.

I happened to go away for a girls' weekend, and Janet was there, so I brought the book.  The group of us proceeded to read it out loud, enjoying it very much.  We snapped a photo of us in the hot tub with the book....very cute...and I posted it to Facebook, tagging Mr. Colesberry in it.  We got a lot of comments on that photo, the best one being Adrian Colesberry himself making wonderful comments, and then making MY picture his Facebook profile!  I was over the moon about that!

And now, a few days later, I am still over the moon, marveling at the wonder that is Facebook, knowing how much harder it used to be to connect with people who are smart and funny and relatively famous.....now it is within a few mouse clicks.  We've even exchanged some messages, as I had questions about the book relating to his current wife/baby etc. And he is as nice in person, and as funny, as he is in the book.  He has a Beta site where one can enter data and write their own HOW TO MAKE LOVE book.  It's not working yet, but you can bet, once it is up, I will be amongst the first to have a book there.  No, I won't be sharing that link!