Third Tri is a Charm

This past Sunday, I participated in my third and most challenging triathlon. It was the Triangle Triathlon, a race Bill participated in last year. The location of the race had moved this year from a murky brown lake filled with possible toxins to a lake that is used to cool the nuclear power plant. Most people said it was a wonderful change. I am just happy to be alive and not glowing.

Our day began at 4:15am (yes, we were wondering if there were ever any evening triathlons we could do), and we were on our way to the race site by 4:45 am. We arrived in plenty of time which was a definite advantage due to the lack of parking at the park. We were able to set up our gear (and fix it as we both had racked our bikes incorrectly) and get body marked with ease. There was also a little bit of time for meditation, which I really needed before the race.

I had signed up for this race on a spur of the moment whim. After the process was complete, I began to freak out about what I had done. This race was far longer than anything I had done, and the swim section was in a lake, not a pool. There was also a time limit of 2 hours and 30 minutes that really scared me. I have never been removed from a race because of a time limit, and I certainly did not want it to happen in this race.

As we got ready to head down to the beach, we found some friends of friends who had also signed up for the race. It was so nice to have someone to talk to as we waited for the wave start to begin. The husband of our friends, M, started first. Soon, Bill was off in the water. As the waves continued every four minutes, it was soon time for A and I to head to the lake. It was so nice to have her there and in the same wave. I didn't have time to think about how nervous I was or worry about anything. We were knee deep in water, watching the group before us head to the first buoy before I knew it. Then, the horn sounded and it was our turn.

Since the other tris I have done have been pool swims, it was a whole different thing to do an open water swim. First, your whole age group starts at once. Second, the water is dark and murky. Third, you have to watch where you are going so you don't miss a marker and get off course. There are arms and legs all over the place. It is hard to tell where you are until you are right at someone's legs. The swim was also 750 meters, 500 more meters than my longest race. I have to say, though, that I was proud of my swim. Sure, it was slow going, but I never stopped or had to grab a rescue boat. I felt comfortable in the water. I think if I practice the spotting, I could do quite well. I did get run over by some of the men who started behind me, but I still was not the last in my group to reach the shore. I finished the swim in 22:56.

I was on the shore and started the long run to the transition area. My transition time was very high, 4:33, but there was a long run from the lake up to the transition area, then to the end to enter. I hate being barefoot, but I managed to run up the grass without an incident. I was off on my bike.

Biking is not my strongest discipline. I ride a sport hybrid bike. It is a nice bike for cruising, but not really meant for racing. If I had a road bike, I am sure my time would improve just from the change of gear. After this race, I am very interested in getting a road bike and working on my cycling. I must have been passed by 100 cyclists on the course. The course itself was not too bad. There was one dramatic hill (I am not the best hill climber), but the rest was relatively flat. I gave up 7 spaces during the bike ride, and it was tough watching all those folks pass me by. Still, I kept moving, and finished the 17.5 mile course in 1:16:40.

My second transition was much better as I didn't have to change shoes. It would have been great if I could have gotten my bike racked properly, but it still only took 2:01. I was off on the run, seeing my friend A heading toward the finish on my way out.

The run was different. It was a 5K course (3.1 miles), but most of the running was on a trail. I had never done a trail run before, so it was a different feel being on a dirt path than asphalt. It was also starting to get hot. The beginning of the run was in a shaded area, but it soon gave way to high grass and no covering. I kept moving forward as best I could, stopping to dump water on my head and drink as I could. I did have to walk (really must start doing brick workouts!), but I kept moving. I really was beginning to think it was the longest 5K of my life when I finally got to the turn around point. I was tired and really staring to question why I do these races. I headed back to the fork, and a race volunteer told me I was near the asphalt. As soon as I hit road, I felt much better. I was in the parking lot, and could hear the finish. I ran as best I could up to the finish line, and knew I wasn't the last to cross. I finished the run in 40:46, not stellar, but not too far off my PR of 38:00.

My goal was to complete this race in the 2 hour, 30 minute limit. I finished in 2:26:54. Not bad for my longest triathlon. I know I can do better. Not that it is over, I am looking forward to my next event (a shorter tri in August), and even considering an Olympic distance event for next year.

Check out the local paper's story about the event. Take a look at the photo gallery as well. Photo #28 shows my husband running toward his bike during T1. He is the blond in the black suit on the left.

My Latest Obsession

I have a tendency to become obsessed. I became obsessed with Gossip Girl (but have since stopped watching it) and the Twilight Book series (I finished that obsession, and now have the movies to obsess over). Now, my latest obsession is the HBO series True Blood.

I had heard about the series in passing or in an entertainment magazine, so I decided to put the show on my queue at Netflix. Well, now I am hooked. We watched all of the episodes in Season 1 just as the second season began on HBO. Of course, we do not get HBO at our house. It has been tough for me because I have already heard from friends that this season is really good. I have seen things in People magazine about the stars on the show, and it just makes me want to see the new shows even more.

The show is based on the novels by Charlaine Harris about a telepathic waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who lives in the town of Bon Temps, LA. Her boyfriend, Bill, is a vampire. The town is full of other colorful characters as well, some with unique abilities. I have always loved any story with magic or paranormal things in it. The fact that it is also a love story with a twist is just a huge bonus. I also love the chemistry of the two stars of the show, Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. When I found out that the two are also a couple in real life, I just went over the top of obsession mode.

I have been pricing out cable TV to see if I could somehow make it work to get HBO. Of course, my dear friend, Melissa, said that we could have a True Blood marathon when I go visit her next month so I can catch all of the new shows. I just don't know how long I can wait.

I guess I can always read the books. I have also added a few other TV series to our queue. Will Big Love, Mad Men, Rescue Me, or Entourage take the edge off the obsession? I don't know. I do know that if you haven't seen True Blood yet, check it out. It may be your obsession, too.

Laundry room Re-do

This weekend, Bill and I renovated the laundry room. Bill took down the wood cabinet and repainted the room. We then picked out wire shelving from Lowe's and installed it in place of the cabinets. We also installed shelves on the side of the room and hooks to hold our grocery bags.

I was a little nervous about this project. I was unsure how the wire shelves would look since there would not be any doors to hide things. I love how it looks now. It seems much cleaner, organized, and brighter. It is a happier place to do laundry.

Vacation in A-ville

After the triathlon last Sunday, Bill and I headed west to Asheville, NC. I had always wanted to stay at the Grove Park Inn, and we had seen a special in our local paper. We got a package deal for 2 nights stay which included various discounts throughout the resort. So, away we went.

We arrived around 5pm Sunday evening. We were supposed to have a double bed room with a property view, but my wonderful husband asked if there were any King rooms available. We were quickly upgraded to a king room in the newest wing of the resort, the Sammons Wing. We were on the 8th floor, so we had a spectacular view of the mountains and downtown. I immediately feel in love with the Craftsman style of our room and its wonderful amenities. We headed to the bar in the lobby (or Great Hall as it is called) for a few beers. We took our over priced brews out to one of the terraces to enjoy the stunning view. Soon, it was time for dinner, but we didn't have far to go. We were eating at the resort that night at The Sunset Terrace. We had a tasty dinner and got to enjoy the view some more before heading back to the room to call it a night. Remember, we had been up at 4:30am for the tri.

We woke Monday morning and enjoyed breakfast at the Blue Ridge room. After breakfast, I headed to the spa for what turned out to be the best spa experience I have ever had. The spa at the GPI is pretty amazing. It was built in the center of the grounds, partially under the ground. I received a tour of the spa which includes several different pools with different therapeutic uses. The main pool area is built to look like you are swimming in an underground cavern with rocks covering all the walls. I didn't have much time before my appointment, so I decided to try the contrast pool. You sit in a 103 degree hot tub for about 10 minutes, then immediately plunge into a 64 degree pool about 3 feet in diameter. It is supposed to improve circulation. It certainly got me moving quickly. After the plunge, I sat in the inhalation room with a cool peppermint towel on my face. Soon, it was time to head back to the fireside lounge for my massage. My therapist let me pick the scent of my massage lotion as well as the music we listened to during the massage. There were small extra touches along the way such as scented paper on the head rest and an eye bag for my face. It was a wonderful experience. Later in the day, Bill and I went back to the spa to enjoy the pools. We listened to the under water music in the lap pool, sat under the therapeutic waterfalls in the hot tub, and sat outside in the whirlpool while staring out at the mountains. Talk about peaceful!! We were able to go right to dinner after the spa since the water has no chlorine in it - it is all enriched with minerals to make your skin and hair silky smooth.

Before we hit the spa, we did take a tour of the historic park of the inn. The original building will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2013. We rode the main elevator that is built in to the side of the fireplace, and viewed the palm court lounge area. We also looked at the photos of the building of the inn - a remarkable feat that was done with one steam shovel and took only 1 year.

While in Asheville, we checked out some local beer houses, and found a great place called The Thirsty Monk. The Monk has 2 sections - an upstairs featuring brews from USA, and a downstairs featuring brews from Europe. We each enjoyed two tasty Belgiums in the downstairs bar and had dinner as well. I would recommend the Monk, and hope I get a chance to return. We headed back to the inn, and slept wonderfully with the open windows letting in the mountain air.

Sadly, Tuesday was our last day of vacation. We did start with a bang. We ate breakfast in downtown at Tupelo Honey, which we agreed was the best breakfast either of us ever had. With a quick stop in neighboring Black Mountain, our vacation was over. It sure was a great one, though. I hope we will have a chance to go back and stay at The Grove Park Inn again. I bet is is beautiful at Christmastime...

A Second Tri

This past Sunday, I participated in my second triathlon. It has been about 8 months since my first triathlon, so I was a bit anxious about this one. While I have been working out, I didn't really "train" specifically for this race. I swam, took spin class, and ran as individual pursuits, but never did a "brick" workout (putting together two of the disciplines - usually a bike ride followed by a run).

The morning started at a very early 4:30 am. This tri was located in the town of Wake Forest, about 45 minutes from home. We had only been to the venue the day before the event. The swim club were the pool was located was very nice. It was big enough so that racers did not have to use the same lanes for going down the pool and back again. That was a tremendous advantage when you needed to pass another swimmer or to be passed. It didn't slow down your particular race too much. As with my first tri, I felt very comfortable in the water. Even though I was passed several time during the 250m swim, I felt very strong. I finished by swim in 6:30, which was faster by about a minute from my first tri.

I was off on the bike pretty quickly. The beginning of the bike race felt like it was mostly downhill. I was a bit nervous as I saw the racers before me coming back on the same route. I wondered if I would still have the strength at the end of the race. Luckily, I felt that my legs and my riding just got stronger as I continued the 12 mile bike ride. Those hills I feared didn't seem too bad on the way back to the transition area.

I saw Bill in transition. He had started the race almost 40 minutes before I started my race, so he was finished well before I reached T2. He gave my words of encouragement as my weary legs took me out to the 5K run.

The run was tough. Not only did I have wobbly legs, the route was a very hilly one and the heat of the day was setting in. I also started feeling a bit of an upset stomach and my left foot was tingling due to a too tight race chip. Still, I felt like I finished strong and was only about 3 minutes off my PR for a 5K.

All in all, it was a great race. I really do like the challenge of the three sports together. I was aiming for a 1:50 finish, and I came in at 1:44:24.2. I was quite pleased. I also had a good time wtaching my friends, J&M, in their first triathlon. We all finished the race with smiles on our faces.

Next tri is in 2 weeks - featuring a longer lake swim and a longer bike ride. Hope I do as well.

The King is Dead

I was as shocked as everyone else to learn of Michael Jackson's passing this past Thursday. I actually found out via Facebook with all of the status updates referencing his passing. While he had gone a bit off the deep end in the last few years, there is no doubt that he was an influence on me as a child and as a teenager.

My first real dance recital was to a Micheal Jackson song. I was taking a jazz dance class and we performed to "Don't stop til You get Enough."

I remember going to my friend Carrie's house with all of the other girls in the neighborhood so we could watch the world premiere of the Thriller video on MTV. It was all we talked about for days.

I remember watching MJ on the Motown special. I tried to moonwalk in the living room for weeks after that performance. I never did get it down.

My first concert ever was The Jackson's Victory Tour at Dodger's Stadium in L.A.

And, yes, I had a Micheal Jackson poster in my bedroom.

There can be no doubt of Michael's influence on pop culture and music. I am saddened that a life was lost so early, and hope he will be remembered for his amazing presence and not his crazy later in life behavior.

Community Giving

I decided at the beginning of this year that I wanted to focus on community giving. Well, I have been trying to do just that, but it has been tougher than expected.

I organized a team to walk in the local Race for the Cure. I really thought we would have a good turn out. When I first made mention of the idea, people said they would be happy to join the team. I thought for sure people could take a few minutes out of their weekends to walk 3.1 mi for a worthy cause. Well, I was disappointed.


We had 8 people sign up for the team. Out of those 8 people, four actually showed for the event. With more than 40 people at the office, I ready hoped the turn out would be greater. I know that the economy is tight, and perhaps that is why people could not sign up. I know it is also summer, so that could have been a factor with people vacationing. It is just discouraging when you set up these things and four is the best turn out you get. My colleague, Beth, was a brave soul who walked with hubby and I in the heat. Another colleague ran the competitive race earlier in the morning (as did hubby), but we never saw him in the mass of people who were there. I did not run the 5K, but did a 5 mile run on my own before walking.

I was thinking of having a Habitat for Humanity work day in the fall. I am now going to rethink that idea. I would not want to be the only one to show up.


I am not giving up yet - I will be working on the Extra Hands committee again this year for the Junior League. Our committee puts together one day events for a variety of charities that need help. We get a better turn out - membership requires that ladies do at least on of these events a year!