Tri for Fun Race Report - 2009

I did it again! The Pleasanton Tri for Fun was once again great fun. And this time I did it with a friend, which just added to the fun. We finished in 1 hour 59 minutes (good thing we ran that last 1/4 mile!), a time I can be happy with. I did this race last summer when in better shape and finished in 1 hour 35 minutes.  When 3 months pregnant I did it again and finished in 1 hour 53 minutes. Now, 5 months post baby and I still finished in under 2 hours. But the most important thing is, I did it!

Okay, here are the details...We all loaded up the car and left the house about 5:15am. Michelle, myself, Miguel and Marek headed toward Pleasanton. Michelle is also a new mom, she had her baby 10 days after I had mine. This was to be her first triathlon. I was so excited to be a part of that experience for her! There's just nothing like your first time.

We arrived at Shadow Cliffs Regional Park at around 6:20am and this time we'd learned to avoid the big line of cars coming into the park by approaching from the opposite end. We parked and headed toward transition with all our gear. The bike racks were pretty crowded but we managed to find two spots near one another and squeezed our bikes in. We went to registration and signed our waiver, got our bibs, and then stood in line for body marking. It was a long line but it moved fast. After body marking we went to get our T-shirts. I'm glad we got them early because after the event I saw they ran out and were taking names to mail them out. Here we are with our t-shirts pre-race.

I really like the t-shirt design this year. After getting our shirts we headed back to our bikes to set up our transition spot. I wore the same outfit as last time, a sports bra with a tankini over it and tri shorts. Michelle wore a sports bra with a speedo bathing suit over it with a plan to take the bathing suit off and put on shorts and a shirt in transition. She very cleverly brought a skirt to pop on so she could change all stealth-like. I then set up my gear - bike shoes with socks tucked in, helmet with gloves and sunglasses tucked in, spray on sunscreen, a towel to dry my feet, water bottle on bike, bike set to granny gear (due to a hill heading out of the park), shirt with bib already pinned on...I think that's it. Then down to the beach to catch the rest of the pre-race newbie talk.

We listened to the talk, they informed us of the waves, 1: serious folks, 2: men 18-39, 3: women 18-39...I didn't pay attention after that but I think it was then older men, followed by older women, then an open wave (i.e. for couples that want to race together), and an under 18 wave. Something like that. Anyway, we were third so we would be subtracting 15 minutes from our race time to allow for the earlier waves cutting into our time (they only have 1 race clock, no timing chips).

Michelle and I are both breastfeeding and we had time to make some milk for the babies so we both did that. I have to tell you I felt mighty empowered feeding my baby knowing I was about to take off on a triathlon. I am a woman, I am a mother, and I am an athlete and this morning they all came together.

Some pre-race pictures...







The waves can get full, they set a limit on the number of people per wave (150 people?). Right after the wave before us took off we got in the bunch to head into the swim take-off area so we were sure to get in - and we made it. Here we go!!

Michelle came out of the water a few minutes before I did and we met up in transition. Just like last time I started to leave transition when I realized I'd forgotten to take off my tankini. Back to my transition spot, shirt off, tankini off, shirt on. Now we're off for the bike leg...



I was a bit stronger on the bike, and I was riding a road bike, Michelle was riding my old mountain bike from 1994 (no shocks and I'd put slicks on them to ride around town) so I had a faster bike too. But Michelle was stronger on the run so we balanced each other out. Having someone to ride and run with made the whole thing go by faster and more fun. I tried to snap a picture of Michelle mid-ride and here was the outcome.



Because we're breastfeeding we're both drinking a ton of water all the time and sure enough we decided we had to stop mid-ride and use some facilities. There's a Starbucks along the way so we did a little detour...here we are ready to take off again.



Here we come back from the bike, heading into transition and are both feeling great!



...and headed out to the run.



We did a walk/jog combo on the run and Michelle was a great motivator. Many times we picked people that we decided to catch and pass so we kept our motivation up that way. We even jogged up the last hill before the finish! And there's the finish line!! Here we are, closing out the show. Remember, subtract 15 minutes from that time due to our being in the 3rd wave.



Yay!! We did it. Such excitement. We walked around sampling granola, power drinks and fruit. After a little stretching and socializing (someone recognized me from my blog! - Hi Allie!) we packed up our gear and headed out to a much deserved breakfast - we were starving! Dean's Cafe in downtown Pleasanton is the perfect spot.



We both had a huge veggie omelet and all the fixin's, it was gooood. Both of us felt our bodies were a little tight and a little sore but all-in-all not too bad. After breakfast we headed home. I took a nice hot bath and then a nice long nap. Man, a nap hasn't felt so good in a long time.

Well, that's it. A good time, no, a great time, nice weather, wonderful company, a great husband who managed to take care of Marek and still get tons of great pictures...who can ask for more?

All Talk, No Action

Oh how I wish I could write a lovely blog about just how lovely everything is. Not tonight unfortunately. But I have been successful at something, I have successfully avoided the gym for this entire week. Too bad that's not my goal. I have my regular list of excuses - work related stress, new baby, etc, etc.

I'll take a moment to tell you a bit. The main thing is that I have been given layoff notice at work. Yep, laid off again. Our program has lost funding and is closing. I have secured a new job, a part-time job no less, so that's good. My last day of work at the old job is at the end of August, then a week off to adjust, then the new job starts. I'm actually feeling alright about this. At least I won't be under any pressure to return to full time work. Besides the pressure from the bank that holds my mortgage, that is.

The new baby excuse remains alive and well. What can I say, it's a good one. Not quite as good as pregnancy as far as excuses go, but I'll take it. Marek is doing well. The most shocking thing is he has teeth! Can you believe it? My newborn, wee little one has teeth! Oh man, it's all happening so fast. Pictures will have to come later, I've not snapped one of his little chompers yet.

So my tri is just around the corner, as in two days from now. I'll just be hoping to finish is all. I have no doubt that I will, barring any unusual physical calamities. I better finish, people keep asking me if I'm training and I keep saying, "ah, it's only a sprint," as I wave my hand dismissively toward the floor. Ha! Like I run around doing olys and 70.3s all the time and a little ol' sprint ain't nothin'. Riiight. I'll be letting you know how that turns out, rest assured.

I haven't been going to meetings either. I really need to find one I like. With my new work schedule there's no reason I can't commit to a mid-week meeting. Now just to find one and actually go. Right now my health routine can be summed up with the title of this post. Healthy eating and fitness is all so much easier when motivation is in high gear.

Well, I hope I have not been too depressing on the eve of a lovely weekend. Please do stop by in the future as I promise to some day be back to my more positive self :)

And finally, something to, hopefully, make you smile.

Should I Do Crunches Everyday?

I was chatting with a fellow gym junkie (yes, I am calling myself a gym junkie despite the current state of affairs which I will tell you about in a sec') and we get to talking about abs. I share with him my current routine...

2 sets of 25 crunches
2 sets of 25 bicycle crunches
1 set of 10 hanging leg raises
2 planks - 1 @ 1 minute, 1 @ 30 seconds.

He then asks how often I do this and I proudly share that I do it every time I go to the gym. So he tells me I should not be doing ab work on consecutive days, "abs are muscles just like all other muscles and they need time to heal before working them again." I know I've heard this somewhere before but something just makes me feel like I should do them every time I go to the gym. I don't always go on consecutive days so it's not always an issue, but when I do, should I not do abs? This is important because I want to get the most out of my workout, but it's even more important because I don't exactly love working my abs. An excuse to pass on them now-and-again would be nice. Might even motivate me to hit the gym two days in a row! It would also occasionally save me time. Of course, it would also cut down on the overall ab work I do, but maybe that's okay? I tried this out last week, skipping abs if I had done them the day before. What do you think?

So this question would be even more interesting if I were actually going to the gym. Yep, it's been over a week since I've been. The last time I went was last Friday (not this past Friday but the one before that!), some, er, 9 days ago?! There are some small good moments tucked into this week, all thanks to my new mommy friends. On Thursday evening I went for a nice long walk (thanks Lauren!) and today I went on a nifty little 10 mile bike ride (thanks Michelle!). But, alas, no gym. I've slipped into a bit of a funk and I'll let you know more about why once I figure my way out of it. I just don't feel like going into the downer details just yet.

In any event the bike ride today was good for my spirit. You might remember the last time I got on my bike wasn't so inspiring. This time was great, I felt stronger, even though I was slow as molasses, and had a fun time. It helped that I had some good company. Not riding alone makes a difference. So we meant to ride 11 miles so (the other) Michelle could get a feel for the tri ride (she's doing the tri with me and it's her first one and I'm so excited for her!). But my bike computer wasn't tracking distance for some reason and despite my stopping to fiddle with it I couldn't get it to work. We had to guess on distance and ended up doing only 10 miles. It was great, the weather was lovely, it wasn't too windy and my legs held up just fine. It actually made me remember why I was getting so much into road cycling before pregnancy derailed me (ha! a pun) for a bit.

Speaking of road cycling, I still really like my bike. I felt so comfortable on it today, once I was warmed up I actually felt like I could go on a longer ride. That's a good feeling! And I think I have finally decided on my name for my bike. Tillie. 10 points if you can guess why I chose that name. So Tillie and I are looking forward to the Tri for Fun in two weeks. I need to figure out what I'm going to wear. The clothes I wore the last times I did it might be a wee bit tight on my bigger post-baby body. I'll have to figure something out.

Well, Marek is waking up. Mommy duty calls. I'll close with a picture or two...

At the free SF Symphony in Dolores Park. Man, it was a HOT day! Don't worry, I kept Marek in the shade once we snapped a couple pictures. I went to this event last year too.


Later that day the three of us having dinner at Pacific Catch. Such a funny face on Marek!

Two Steps Forward ...

.2 steps back. Yep, I gained .2 pounds this week. I think it was the Chinese food on Thursday night that did me in. Good thing I took off my socks for the weigh in or it might have been more :) I did make a better choice with the Chinese food. Normally we order a ton and then have leftovers for the next day (or more) but this time we were conservative and only had enough leftovers for one lunch the next day. Miguel took it and I had a healthy lunch.

The other thing is that the gym was sort of sporadic, I went on Sunday and Monday and then not again until yesterday (Friday (post-meeting)). I'm going later today so will meet my goal of four times a week. I also got in a nice (though leisurely) mile walk one day during lunch. Oh, work, that's right!

So I went back to work last week (Mon-Wed for now). Everything went about as well as I think it could. Marek had a fine time in daycare, always greeting me with a huge smile when I pick him up. I called throughout the day to check on him and everything was always good. I only shed a few tears the first and second day. I missed my baby but it was also good to get back to it.

Work is really good for my eating. It keeps me set to breakfast - snack - lunch - snack - dinner - desert. Oh! Except for the new thing that has been implemented while I was gone which my colleagues were so excited to tell me about. Cupcake Wednesday. Cupcake Wednesday?! Oh no! That can't be good. Turns out a woman in the neighborhood has a cupcake business and caters to events, weddings, etc. Once a week she opens up her shop and sells to the public for $1 a cupcake (that's a picture from her website). Uh-oh. The good news is they were on the smaller side and I only ate 1.75 cupcakes. The other good news is they didn't knock my socks off. Whew! I think a future weekly crisis might have been averted.

I even managed to get to the gym on Tuesday evening. Going to the gym on a weekday is a tricky maneuver but we've agreed that each of us (Miguel & I) can go once after work during the Mon-Thur week while the other tends to the home. So I'm envisioning some sort of Sun, Tue, Thur (during the day), Fri (or Sat) routine. This past Thursday I had a headache (probably from the blasted Chinese food now that I think about it) and couldn't go. Sometimes I go with a headache and either work through it or it goes away but this time I just wasn't in the mood.

So despite my .2 pound gain I'm still feeling very optimistic about my overall health and fitness. Yesterday I was able to jog 10 minutes straight at 5.0mph. I had to use a little mantra mojo (I think it went something like "Use the mind and the body will follow" with each syllable to a step) to get me through the last minute-and-a-half but I did it. And it was legs & shoulders day to boot so my legs got a real workout. I also did the plank for the third time (2 sets - 1st @ 1 minute, 2nd @ 30 seconds), which felt good. It wasn't a fluke. After weigh-in I gently reminded myself that if I keep doing what I know works the weight issue will solve itself. It's not about the number on the scale, it's not about losing at a certain pace, I don't exercise to lose weight - I exercise to feel good, to make fitness gains, to fuel my weekend activities, to insure I live a long, healthy life.

I don't exercise to lose weight. Really? Did I just say that? I did, and the most profound part is not that I wrote it, but that I believe it. Wow, what a shift. I don't exercise to lose weight. Wow. Can you tell I'm a little flabbergasted by that? I think this means I'm really in a good place psychologically with all this. Let's hope I figure out how to stay here.

Baby pic time!!

First day of daycare. My hair is still wet, Marek is still in his jammies and I haven't started to cry (yet). I love my baby :) The look on his face says to me, "I see we're smiling but are we sure about this mommy?" Awww, my little love.

My current fave. This was taken at Yogun Fruz. Did I not mention that I went for frozen yogurt after the WW meeting on Friday? oops :) Isn't he getting big??

It's All Good

If you're looking for some good news, you came to the right place. When it comes to my workouts, things are continuing to go well. I've had a few accomplishments this week that I want to share. And, because I apparently like to number things in lists...here you are:

#1: I took a real, live outdoor run on Wednesday evening. I did a 5 minute warm-up walk and then jogged, get this, a 2 mile loop! I'm pretty sure I was jogging slower than the 5.0 mph I do on the 'mill, which is why I was able to go so much longer, but I surprised myself in my ability to do it. And this little stint included some mild inclines even. It felt really good to be outdoors and jogging. Puts that boring old treadmill to shame.

#2: I went to the gym four times last week, hitting my goal. On top of that, I got in the above mentioned jog on a gym-free day. And, I've already started this week off on the right foot by going to the gym this morning. I think it's becoming a habit again, not so much internal wrangling to get myself there. Let's hope it sticks in the coming weeks.

#3: You're not going to believe this one. So I've been building up my ab strength, which has been tricky given I had a c-section. Things have been feeling pretty good lately so I decided to give the plank another go. I held the plank for 1 whole minute!! And then after a short break, I held it again for 30 seconds. And this was all after doing crunches earlier during weight training. Can you believe that? I was shocked. So, the plank is officially back in rotation.

#4: I lost 2.4 pounds at weigh-in on Friday!! Yup, ice cream and all. I hope it's a sign that my muscle is sufficiently built up as to be beginning to help with calorie burning. And then there's the breastfeeding, and the 1500+ calories I burned doing cardio throughout the week, not to mention weight training. I was quite pleased, as you can imagine.

#5: I registered for the triathlon on August 15th! So, it's real, I'm doing it. And I'm not doing it alone, which will make it so much more fun. I'm already anticipating the post-tri breakfast and how much fun we'll have chatting about our go of it.

How's that for accomplishments? I'm not afraid to say I'm feeling pretty darned pleased with myself these days. Also, eating has been pretty good. Still not tracking so I can't say this quantitatively but I know I haven't been eating any of my go-to bad foods. (I put bad in italics because I firmly believe no foods are intrinsically bad but some are bad for me in that they tend to trigger over-eating.)

The big day has come though. I go back to work tomorrow. I know this will hold a mix of good and bad things (related to my fitness journey) for me and I'm trying my darndest to focus on the good. The bad? I'm worried about getting in gym time. (And, of course, I know I'll miss my son more than I can imagine.) The good? The time I spend alone with the refrigerator and pantry is going to go way down. And I'll be busier during the day so in addition to less access to food I'll have less time for snacking. Traditionally I do really well during the work day so I'll have three of those to help keep my food intake in check. I'm starting back Mon-Wed for now. Wish me luck.

I'll close with a couple of pics featuring our little man. I have a feeling my picture taking might be curtailed by my returning to work. I'll just have to take that many more on the weekends!

Marek and I at the park on a playdate. He woke from his nap in a good mood and smiley so I got a few pics before de-swaddling him.


And a closer up one, because, well, this little guy just melts my heart!


Marek trying to bust out of daddy's arms while daddy is distracted.

As you can see, it was a good week. All in all I'm not too disappointed in my post-birth, maternity leave recovery. I could have used the time better to lose more weight but who knows if I would have been happy. I tried not to stress about it and things have evolved as they have, which is just fine. I have had the best time with my little boy and I know that even though I'm going back to work, the future still holds endless fun for us all. As long as I keep on my fitness journey and stay active and have fun it's all good.