Meanwhile, small protests/riots in Oakland last night as a reaction to the Johannes Mehserle verdict. I’m glad people didn’t go crazy. Maybe the temperatures had something to do with it.

While the east side of the country is stewing in the steam from the Atlantic boiling over, the west side is, if not freezing, gosh darn cold. Here in July, it’s 52 degrees this morning. San Diego is breaking records for the lowest high temps! And they had an earthquake a couple of days ago.

It’s great running weather though, and I empathize with the overheating people in the east. It’s not fun being outside when one is dripping with sweat after 5 minutes. I went to University in South Florida, and grew up in Jacksonville. All I can say is it keeps the kidneys clean to sweat so much!

photo credit: JOANNE ROSE FOLEY: BRILLIANT WATERS

I can’t think of a good reason to go out this morning and run, but more significantly, I can’t think of a good reason not to. And I know I will feel better afterwards.

Some days, with all the hullabaloo in politics, the economy, and simple family life, going out for a long walk is all I have any control over. It’s just me and the dog and a shimmering lake. I guess that’s why we do.

photo courtesy Jane Huber, Bay Area Hiker

I’ve been up and about lately, with a couple of events on the horizon.

First, in a couple of weeks is the Tri For Fun#2. This is a training series of three sprints leading up to a bit longer event called Tri For Real.

Second is the Levi Leipheimer Medio Fondo in October that I signed up for almost 6 months ago in conjunction with the East Bay Cinderella Classic.  I trained with the Valley Spokesmen to ride in the Cinderella for about 3 months and then missed the ride due to a family emergency. Doh.

My favorite events are sponsored by Envirosports, and I’m looking at the Napa Trail half on the 30th of October. That’s a jog in the park followed by a nice crisp Chardonnay.

Recently a friend asked me if I’d be interested in the Biz Johnson trail half, also in October, but it’s the same day as my bike ride, so that’s a bummer, but it’s shaping up to be an active fall.

there is no try

Last year at this time I made (what I thought) was a commitment to myself to get back in rockin’ shape so I could enjoy my time on the trails pain-free.

I also wanted to lose weight.

Now a year has passed and I don’t have the before and after pictures to show, like so many of the blogs that inspired this. I only have the before and the before.

Monday June 14th, I went on a fruit and vegetable diet for 3 days in an effort to reset my habits, and remind myself what hunger truly feels like. When I slip into the easy bad habits, I mistake hunger for a million things: boredom, anxiety, stress.

When I can work up the self-discipline to really feel hunger again, I find it helps me re-focus, and part of that is getting back on the trail and feeling the exhilaration of flying on a single track trail carried by my own two legs.

Dr. Laura’s statement is with me: there is no try, there is only do.

I think I was bonking. That sounds dramatic, but I think as I get older I need to fuel myself more frequently for exercise. This notion doesn’t sit well with my WeWa self who wants to hoard points-  points points points vs. ap’s ap’s ap’s floating around in my head creating a ruckus of unfocused energy.

When I was younger, I could go out for 2 or more hours without breakfast and without eating while out on the trail. I tried that this morning: coffee for breakfast, followed by an hour of yoga, then off to a 4 mile run.  I could barely make 2 miles before I had to walk, and restarting the run was painful. I think if I had rested for a half hour after yoga to have a banana or some oatmeal, I’d have felt better on my run.

(But maybe I have swine flu. LOL!)

Buuuut…… I just completed the Tri Girl Tri Sprint Triathlon on Oct 4th, and I dropped 8 minutes off my last time!! I completed in 1:35:17. The weather was gorgeous, and the water temp about 72. That makes a huge difference.

Here are my splits:

1/2 mile swim – 13:32

11 mile bike- 49:something – I think it was actually 12 miles, but whatevs.

3 mile run- 29 something. I was just happy to be under a 10 min mile!

After the last triathlon, I’m back on the WeWa, seriously. I feel so competitive about my finish I just know if I dropped some lbs I would really be a contendah! I have my eye on next year.

I’m not much of a vegetable eater, so this is one of my challenges with improving my diet. I had all this leftover broccoli and some swiss chard so I threw it in a pot with some ff chicken broth, some ginger, garlic, celery, fresh thyme and fresh parsley.

I roasted a sweet potato I had on hand and threw that in too. 1C 1% milk and blended everything together into a creamy consistency.

It looks like something you’d find in a baby’s diaper, but it sure tastes good and it’s probably a cup of veggies.

I refuse to become a team spandex proseur though. We are innundated with Lance wannabes every weekend who drive up from the city and ride in packs of 20, creating a road hazard on blind corners and hilltops.  As much as I respect athleticism, and feel the healthy fear of being within inches of a couple of tons of 45 mph bone crushing automobile, I can’t tolerate the entitlement of some of the cyclists I encounter daily.

I rode my new bike out of my local bikeshop and right up White’s hill. I haven’t ridden a road bike in about, well, a couple of years. I had a bianchi I bought used off craigslist, but it was too big. I had no idea that a wrongly sized bike could exhaust me so thoroughly. Scared me too, going downhill. I felt completely out of control on that bianchi.

The first thing I noticed about riding my new bike is the gears are not granny compatible. I need to get stronger (weighing less would help) to use this gearing to get up hills. The second thing I noticed is that a good fitting bike is unbelievably fun to ride. I feel like I’m on a razor blade in a wind tunnel going down hill on this bike. Being carbon fiber, I can practically pick it up with my finger.

Now I am in the game. I am so excited about this triathlon, I have actually started looking around at other sprint distance events to get really going. I think I may sign up for the Vineman Showdown, too, even though its only about a month away.

Again, thanks Donut.

I was going to write a pathetic pitiful poor me post today about how disgusted I am with myself, how my knees hurt when I run, how I’m always out of breath, blah blah blah. I didn’t know how to start so I went downstairs and made a big fat waffle with butter and log cabin syrup (I’m on sick-child duty today- waffles were her idea, darnit).

Great idea. No inspiration in the waffle.

Then I went on WeWa to tally the damage, lurked a little on the boards, and  behold one of the regular invisipeeps started a Triathlon thread asking if anyone else had an interest in tri-ing.

Thank you Donut.Thank you thank you thank you.

You also inspired me to get my fahazatness out the door with the Nike + thingamajig that started this whole blog.  So I just signed up for the Napa Valley Sprint Triathalon. Then even have an Athena category for extralarge girls like me (over 160). Oh boy.  I dream of 160!

And I’m excited! This has turned my day around! I look forward to it! Now I just need to go get a bike…..

This is me this afternoon before I started my run. Yes, we have 65 degree weather when the rest of the country is socked in snow. This is abnormal. We are all a bit freaked that we don’t have rain.  But it’s great running weather!!

Less than a mile later I lay in the dirt with gravel in my palm and trail rash on my elbow, knee, and lower leg.

I tripped.  On nothing.

It’s kindof cool to trip and tumble when trail running, but more like when you are 85 miles into the Leadville 100 or something and you actually have an excuse. I’m just out of shape.

I’m about 2 months past my last unsuccessful embryo transfer for IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization).  Seventeen healthy embryos literally down the toilet. I haven’t got any profound insight on this as some women do. I didn’t experience any traumatic events, like carrying a baby nine months only to have it spontaneously abort, or be stillborn. I just can’t get pregnant. I’m one of those who is inexplicably infertile. No problems on the inside. Nothing abnormal with the husband… he has a daughter from a previous relationship. Nothing anyone can figure. I still haven’t figured out how I feel about this. Honestly, I think I’m relieved, though I know I would be a phenomenal mother, I have a fantastically close and loving family. I do wonder though about people who ARE allowed to get pregnant, and why God allows all these desperate children. I don’t know, and that’s all I’ve got.

So now, I am allowed to get my heartrate up again. I just wish I could get the notion into my head that zero point soup and water are just as fun as pizza and beer.