Icy Cold and Boba Tea

My day started with a swim. It was nothing spectacular. What was wonderful was discovering the hot water heater was broken and the showers were icy cold. This isn't that big a deal, except that after my shower I hop on my bike and ride down a big hill with wet hair, in semi-cold (or if you live in Canada or the North somewhere it's considered balmy) weather to get to work. Thank goodness for little hand dryers to sit under as I put all my cycling gear on.

At lunch my bike and I had a date with the hill again. And today my heart and legs worked the way I wanted them to.

One of the things I love about cycilng is the places it can take you. On the way back to work I realized I pass right by a boba tea shop. If there is one thing I might like more than coffee, it is boba tea. For those of you who don't know what this is - it's tea with little tiny balls of tapioca in it. Think small pieces of cliff shot bloks in your tea - wait, that sounds gross, it is nothing like that. If you have never tried it I highly recommend giving it a shot.

The guy in the tea shop kept saying "Ok, no boba right?" and I kept replying "Yes, boba, I like the boba!" He didn't understand how I was going to drink it through my bike bottle (you need the thick straw). And yes, in the above picture there is a transformer on my desk at work. Bonus points if anyone knows his name!

Ironman Article on Me

So wow, this was a nice surprise.

Bike Commuting Woes

5:40am: hopped on bike to ride to swim practice

5:52am: flatted

6:04am: flat fixed and inside of tire checked (in dark no less!), put wheel back on bike

6:05am: must have missed something in tire, wheel flats while putting it back on bike

6:06am: may have said something out loud at this point, to no one in particular

6:07am: pull out cell phone to place "call of shame" to Steven

6:08am: remember Steven turns phone off while sleeping

6:09am: consider walking remaining 2 miles to swim, but realize I will then be stuck at pool, with wet hair, in 36 degrees

6:10am: start walking 1.5 miles home

6:13am: realize walking in bike shoes with tight calves actually helps to stretch them out!

6:14am: find a nickel on the ground (significance of this)

6:20am: watch sunrise to nice clip-cloppy tune of my feet

6:27am: watch street sweeper pass me and find this oddly hilarious, seeing as our timing was slightly off this morning

6:34am: arrive home and discover my "nickel" is no more than a circular metal hole punch from a construction site

6:36am: fix flat again, still don't find anything in tire, but this time it works

6:45am: decide since I missed the swim I will eat some waffles instead

And I still would not give up bike commuting after this morning's adventure.

Illustration by Max Dalton, who has crossed the Patagonia on a bike with a friend! (I am jealous!)
Check out more of Max's work here.

The Raveonettes and Running

Saturday night I got to see The Raveonettes in Hollywood. They are one of my favorite bands, so it was awesome to see them live.

Steven did his first half marathon in Carlsbad on Sunday. Leading up to race day he was unsure if he would compete due to an injury. Thankfully his smart training (er . . . resting and icing) helped and he was able to finish - in 1:39. Pretty great for a first half!

I did a long run Sunday. It was hard mostly because I was tired. Staying up until 1am, then getting up at 6 to go cheer your friends in a race, then going out for your own run later in the day while they are all vegging out on the couch watching movies and eating pizza is tricky. But the run went well and thankfully my ipod was full of Raveonettes songs! A pretty perfect weekend if you ask me!

Rainy Ride

We got a bit of rain in Southern California today. 

Which translated to a muddy ride. 

Tomorrow is going to be "clean the tri-bike day".

And Steven is running his first half marathon tomorrow. I'm the official photographer for the Wernick family in this race, so expect some awesome out-of-focus photos tomorrow!

Bakfiets

Thanks to the Mayor for explaining that stamp from the Netherlands. I had never heard of a Bakfiets before. Que a bit more research. Turns out they are popular in Europe, particularly with the Dutch. I couldn't find a true definition (Wiki failed me!), but the Charisa definition of a Bakfiets would be a "cargo-carrying bicycle".

I think this one would carry at least three small children.
And inclement weather?
No problem - they make covers for these!

This one appears to be a huge recycling bin on the front of a bicycle. But ohhhhh, the possibilities of what you could carry are endless! Grocery shopping? Done! Your friend whose legs fell off on the long ride? No problem, just scoop him up and whisk him home!

And to think, I have been fixated on a fixed gear commuter bike.

Perhaps I should branch out?!

This clip just made my day!

Should you be in the market for your own personal Bakfiets, I recommend this site.

Quitting, Stopping, Throwing in the Towel

I find it hard to do. I do not like to quit. I somehow equate it to giving up. However, sometimes quitting is the smartest thing to do.

My coach has a rule on my hard bike sets: if I reach a point where I can't keep my heart rate up anymore, it's time to go home.

I had five sets today. On the fourth one the heart rate was waning. It was not terrible, but it was not heading upward in the direction I wanted it to. The legs were screaming and did not have the ability to drive the heart rate up anymore.

After an internal battle of "You're done!" and "Don't QUIT with only one set left!" I turned around and rode back to work. And felt like crying.

I think I made the right decision, but I think my head is getting in the way of smart training. Quality over quantity. And who knows, maybe this is the way to keep from getting injured!?

Fun Stamps

I'm a big fan of the Mini Cooper. I don't own one, but this past year I tried to get on the list of people who get to drive the electric mini for a year. Turns out it was too expensive for me. Ask any of my riding friends - anytime a Mini goes by I say something such as "ohhhhhh, fun!" or "Awwwww racing stripes!" as if each Mini I have ever seen is new and different. In my defense, most of them are. The Royal Mail is celebrating some of its 20th Century British Design Classics with ten different stamps. This of course, is my favorite.

This beauty is from Israel.
The colors just make me smile. On the bottom it says:
"The flowers appear on earth, the time of singing has come . . ."

I have never ridden a recumbent bike, but this was the only bike stamp I could find. Netherlands. Never been there, but I like it already seeing as they make a bicycle stamp!

Cycling Snacks

The more I ride my bike, the more I realize there is a massive variety of snacks that can be consumed while riding long. I tend to stick to boring bars, but have occasionally branched out to pretzels, animal crackers, home-made oatmeal raisin cookies, fig newtons or even Peanut Butter Jelly Time! My favorite is of course, Grandma's gingersnap cookies.

I have also realized bringing good snacks on a ride can change the ride atmosphere drastically!

Take your typical 100-mile ride for example. It's going to take some time. You are going to see some great scenery and chances are something exciting will happen along the way. You might flat, some moron may think it's hilarious to yell out the window as they pass causing you to nearly pee your pants, swerve off the road, or both. And you'll probably get tired. Or grumpy. Or . . . BOTH! (gasp!)

Now - same ride, but add in some delicious snack. A little bit better isn't it? So I've decided I need to branch out my snack options. And I need some help. Please share your favorite cycling food ideas with me. And remember - it has to fit in that little tiny pocket in my jersey. Oh, and I'm vegetarian - so I believe you that beef jerky rocks on a ride, but I still won't try it.

Ice and Flowers

Today after my long run I took an ice bath. I'm a big fan of the ice bath. It's not the most comfortable 15 minutes, but it makes my legs transpire from torn up to fresh again. Today I wanted to try an experiment and see what my heart rate does in the ice bath. You know, just for fun. And because I'm into numbers, and dorky, and well, doesn't everyone try little experiments like this?

For my friends who come over and are offered a Coke and then told "sorry we have no ice, Charisa used it all this morning" I'm really sorry about this. Brian has discussed purchasing a commercial sized ice maker and I am 100% on board for his purchase! I'm still pretty sure it might take a LONG time to make it economical though . . . 

Peppermint green tea, bath full of ice and I hop in. 

Heart rate is 64 pre-polar-entrance.

The heart rate immediately goes up to 84. But it stops there an in about a minute it is back down to 67. Apparently sitting in a tub full of ice isn't really that much work for the heart except for the initial shock it receives. Usually once all the ice melts, it's about time to get out. So the picture below - I've got about 7 more minutes. And this picture made me realize painted toe nails look better on my feet.

After my legs were refreshed I went outside and noticed this:

Back in November I had spent a Sunday pretending I was Martha Stewart. I planted some bulbs and various other flowers around our yard. And voila! What do you know - I must have done something right - because they are starting to bloom! And I know - I'm completely spoiled with our warm weather. I enjoyed it this weekend for all of you in cold, snowy places - all of it, on the ride yesterday, my run by the coast today, and noticing the flowers start to bloom in January!

Winter

This is for all my friends who live where you actually get beautiful snow in the winter! I miss it. Thanks to my great friend Wendy for capturing this shot in Holland, MI over Christmas!

The Pyramid

Last night at track we did a pyramid workout. Our pyramid was: 200-400-800-1200-1600-1200-800-400-200. Those were the fast parts - there was 400m recovery between each of those.

I started out with a steady pace. By the time I reached the 1200, I felt like I was cruising. I tend to like longer endurance workouts anyway - hmmmm, Ironman, go figure . . . Anyway - the legs felt nice and I was cruising right along, clicking off the laps.


As I reached the top of the pyramid and started descending leg fatigue began to set in. I tried to distract myself by reading the banners and ads hung around the track. "Character Counts All the Time" is the only one I can remember - true indeed! That and very bright track lights shining in my eyes.

By the time I reached the fast 400 I was running behind some guy I've talked to before, but don't remember his name. On the recovery lap I mentioned something about it being a long workout and he responded something to the effect of "I love this workout, it's going so fast, plus I like the short laps!" I managed not to smack him or say anything particularly negative to bring him off his endorphin cloud. It was an awesome workout and I did enjoy it - but even more so once it was over!

Le banlieusard de vélo

Found this in Eric Sturdevant's kids book sets on flickr.
illustration by Bernice Myers, 1957

Big Bike, Little Pizza

Sunday was a beautiful day for a long ride. I brought some of grandma's gingersnap cookies for the boys, who were nice enough to ride with me again. I've decided anytime grandma's cookies are involved, the ride is always just a little bit better!

Nothing beats a little pizza when you return home from your workout, border-line bonking!

Friends came over, and Allan and Julie even brought their Charger helmet. But all of our cheering and prodding unfortunately did not help the Chargers grasp a victory yesterday.

3 and Adaptable

Tre, tres, drei . . . this was the number of workouts I had today. I've learned that on days like today I probably won't have three awesome workouts. Usually one of these will be sub-par. Or hurt. Or make me grumpy. But I've also learned it is during some of these workouts that I gain the most from my training. The body is amazingly adaptable. Give it a lot and it gets tired. But over time it becomes easy.

The run took place nice and early - beautiful moon-set and sun-rise. That was about all the beauty I found in my run today. The legs felt slow, the heart rate seemed off, and it just felt a bit BLAH. Not awful, but not great.  The cool part was I came home and checked out my Garmin and the speed was actually good. It just never felt good.

I think I once mentioned my clothes don't usually match while training . . .

Ate a snack and hopped on my bike to go to the pool for a swim. Although not real excited for the swim after the lack-luster run, I knew my friends would be at the pool and if nothing else it would be fun to see them. Amazing how a few friends can make a long workout seem short.

I convinced my Dad that doing hill repeats with me would be a great way to spend his afternoon. 

This workout is by far the hardest one I do all week. To say I like it would only be true when it is finished. I do believe it makes me stronger, therefore I keep doing it. This blue post is the "finish line."

And it really all does seem worth the effort in the end. This is the view on the way down the hill. Today it was 80 degrees, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about - it was a great day of all 3 sports!

The Chase

On my bike commute yesterday I was stopped at a light when a Hispanic guy on an old Specialized pulled up next to me. "Niiiice Byke" he smiled a genuine smile that revealed a single tooth. We were obviously both commuting - me with my messenger bag, him with his rusted out bike with a carrier on the back, shifters on the down tube that may have been so rusted they no longer worked.
His bike was not green and orange, but if you haven't figured it out yet, I like those colors. I told him "your bike is great too - I don't have one of those neat carriers on the back!"

He replied "Ohhhh, no you don't." seemingly happy with himself that he had me beat in the ability to carry more goods on his transport than I had. He had tennis shoes on and no helmet or lights. It wasn't yet dark, but leaning that direction. I wanted to take off my helmet and give it to him along with all my flashing lights.

We have a lot of migrant workers in San Diego and I have nothing but the utmost respect for them. They work harder than most people I know, often riding bikes or walking to get work at 5am when I'm out running.

The light changed, I told him to be safe and we took off. At the next light he caught up and smiling he said "Ha ha, caught you! We should reece!" No sooner had he said this than the light changed again and he took off, this time in the lead. He glanced back, turned his baseball cap around and sped off. This guy was for real!

A chase ensued. I caught him and we both laughed as I passed and he pedaled faster. Then we hit the big downhill. And I admit, he had me. He flew past at lightning speed and there was nothing I could do but laugh as I got dropped.

At the bottom I caught up and we rode together for the next few miles. He told me his bike comes from Italy and it weighs 50 lbs. He wanted to know how much mine weighed. I told him and he smiled "Awe, yes, mine weeeighs more!" as if he had won yet again!

When we parted he told me to watch out for all those "crazeeee cars!" It was one of the best bike commuting experiences I have had to date.

Warning: HOT coffee!

One of my favorite races took place summer of 07. After reading Lynne Cox's book Swimming to Antartica, Brian and I decided we should enter an open-water long distance swim race. I mean, we were "Ironmen" right? How hard could this be?

Oh wait, in true "open water swimming rules" you can't wear a wetsuit. And the water is not exactly tropically warm in San Diego. Nonetheless, we were undaunted.

I have never been hypothermic so often - during summer. Each practice ended with shivering on the beach and then thinking I was in heaven once hot coffee, tea, cocoa - anything warm was found.

While racing, each swimmer has a kayak escort. You aren't allowed to hold onto the kayak, but your support crew can throw you a drink, GU, etc. Steven, supporter extraordinaire that he is, was my escort. (Seriously - this is a big, B-O-R-I-N-G job! Imaging kayaking at snails pace next to someone for several hours).

Brian brilliantly decided we could combat hypothermia by drinking coffee. Just as I started to get chilled in the first lap I asked Steven for the thermos Brian had made for us about 5 hours prior. Ohhhhhh the anticipation of great tasting, hot coffee, with caffeine in the middle of this crazy swim!
FIRE!!!!! Scalding, Holy Great Balls of Fire - what did Brian do to this coffee? Not only could I not drink the beverage, but I now had burned my mouth and face where I had spilled the dumb stuff!

The swim carried on pretty uneventful, except for a few times when I ran into seaweed and had moments of pure freak-out-ishness, thinking some sea monster was coming to get me.

We finished in 2hrs 21min. It was by far, one of the most fulfilling endurance races I have competed in. We are going back to race again this year, and I am making the coffee. Sign up and join us if you are up for a chilly long-distance swim!

What are you afraid of?

Several years ago I realized that I was afraid of failure. Not so afraid that I wouldn't actually start something, but definitely very afraid of failing.

After grad school I spent three years chasing a marathon dream of breaking 3 hours. Somewhere along the way I became caught up in numbers and putting value and self-worth into a race result. I ran a number of very fast and successful marathons during this time-frame. In none of those races did I break 3 hours.

I'm now able to look back on those marathons and realize that I really had a lot of fun training for them and traveling to the different locations to race, often meeting my Dad at the race and racing together. Unfortunately, each time that I did not break 3 hours for some reason I thought I had failed.

When I got into triathlon my "break 3 hours" goal was temporarily set aside for new adventures and goals.

And the more I've gotten into training and racing, the more I've realized how much I really love the process of chasing a goal, whether the goal is accomplished or not. Goals drive me to work hard and see if I can do more than I thought possible. Finding out I can is just icing on the cake.

I'm going to revisit my "break 3 hours in the marathon" goal someday. I still believe that it can happen. But when I do, I think it's going to be a bit of a different approach - a fun goal to chase, and a fun process. End of story - no value put into numbers or times, and no feelings of failure.

Friends, Winter and Special Pizza

The evil sickness I obtained last week hasn't departed yet. I'm not on my deathbed, but it's making training difficult since I feel weak and have a stuffy head. So instead I had a weekend filled with things I don't always have time to do. Friday night I met up with some friends from high school and college for dinner. I'm still sometimes having trouble grasping the concept that most my friends have kids in school already!

Saturday dawned rainy and dreary, which actually made me almost happy I was sick - prohibiting what would have otherwise been a long, wet, bike ride. Instead, Steven and I headed up to Julian for some winter weather.

When we lived in CT we had a past-time of frequenting antique shops. Julian has a few, so we decided to stop in and see what treasures we could find. Steven fell in love with this lamp.  I couldn't stop laughing at the shade on it. I should note that he loved the fact that it has a second bulb below the shade that you can turn on, not necessarily the shade itself. We didn't go home with the lamp, but in hindsight perhaps we should have, as it most definitely would have added a dose of daily laughter if permanently added to our decor.

The opportunity to wear my winter coat, penguin mittens and get warm by a wood burning stove is always fun. Combined with great apple pie and a cappuccino and it just doesn't get much better than that!
The Charger game get-together took place at Jeffrey's house last night. He was kind enough to get me what he thought was a veggie pizza, since I don't eat meat. Turns out it was a veggie "supreme" pizza. Key word here is "supreme" which apparently means "all things meat".  He painstakingly removed all the meat from my veggie pizza onto his newly improved "meat lovers" pizza.

And Roo - the end result was a pizza for you . . . complete with what? I think it's bacon!

Not Always Planned

My lunchtime bike workout yesterday started out beautiful. The sun had started to warm the chilly air and was soaking into my black arm warmers and doing its job of warming me up. 8 hill repeats were on the agenda. 

The first was blah, but it always is - something about shocking that heart into beating faster, getting the legs fired up, etc. The first set of anything I ever do never feels great. On the 2nd repeat I started to think the workout was going to be tough when I still couldn't get my heart rate up - AT ALL. Maybe I needed calories? I ate some shot bloks. Part way into the 3rd set the desire to lay down on the curb and go to sleep or either die was all consuming and I knew it was time to turn around and go back to work. 

Back at work the throat started to feel sore, the muscles achy. Dangit - bad timing, and how to make it til midnight on New Year's Eve when I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and sleep for a week to ward off this evil bug I'm fighting?!

I made it home and flopped on the couch for an hour before all our friends started showing up for our New Year's get together. Advil kicked in and I felt better, until about 11 when I faded quickly and fell asleep by the fire. A series of pictures ensued where Steven was trying to put a cat toy in my mouth (sorry, they were all taken on friends cameras and I don't possess them yet . . .) I did wake up for New Years in time to enjoy some fireworks!

Today was going to be a full day of getting things done - finishing a painting project, training, saving the world, etc. It's turned into more of a day sitting on my arse doing nothing. But that's probably what my body needs, so I'm going to let the other stuff wait. In fact, I'm getting sleepy again, so I might just have to go take another nap. Happy New Year everyone!!