Friday, May 30, 2008
It's Official
With the tri only being 8 days away I decided I should go ahead and register for the darned thing. It was also becoming slightly embarassing to tell people I hadn't actually registered for the race. I'm pretty sure they were beginning to doubt I'd follow through. So it's all official now.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Word to your mom!
Word to your mom! And by that I mean, I am getting very nervous for my triathlon! It's officially less than two weeks away now. The swim alone, no problem. The bike alone, no problem. The run on it's own, no problem. Even the swim plus the bike, or swim plus the run, no problem. However, the bike with the run...um...yeah, it's going to be difficult. I have no doubts I will finish, I'm just scared the run will end up being the most miserable 13.1 miles of my life and I will begin to question why I thought this was such a brilliant idea??
Perhaps we should weigh some of the pros and cons of this whole triathlon thingy:
Pros:
1. Bragging rights: If I'm going to be perfectly honest I must put this somewhere towards the top of the list. I mean anything with the word "ironman" even when preceded with "half" sounds pretty hardcore.
2. Getting my "tri" body: This in theory sounded really cool about two months ago. Truth be told I look about exactly the same. I mostly blame it on chocolate. But oh well, I'll be equally as thrilled when I'm passing some little 115 lb girl with a killer body and thinking to myself, "yeah, you may have the perfect body...but you're still being beat by the chubby girl. That's just pathetic!"
3. Making the most of my singleness: As you can see, I'm struggling for pros. But lets be honest, real people don't have time in their busy schedules for such self indulgence. So in essence, what I'm saying is graduate students are not actually productive members of society. They are mostly confused young adults trying to buy some time before they have to grow up and decide what to do with the rest of their lives. Okay, so maybe I'm just describing myself :) With that said I'm open to suggestions on what to do with the rest of my life.
4. Road biking: Yes, I have discovered the joys of riding my bike. I'm not sure what makes this so fun, perhaps it's the fact I no longer have to run everyday, or maybe it's all the fun gear, or maybe it's just another device to further prolong my graduation? Anyway, it sure is fun.
5. Stress Reliever: Sometimes there is nothing better than running away for 2 hours, literally :)
Cons:
1. Expensive: I'm too embarrassed to express just exactly how much this race will cost me...but just know it's alot. Entry fees, cost of travel, wetsuit rental (??), tri-clothing, etc. Infact I just purchased a nice set of aero bars for my borrowed bike. I find it slightly ironic I now own aero bars yet no road bike?? I suppose their is only one solution to this problem...I'll have to buy a bike!
2. Time consuming: Seriously it's like a part time job...only you don't get paid.
3. Guilt: Ah, yes the guilt. I suppose this may negate "stress reliever". While it may be a stress reliever on some days other days it's just a chore. And like any other chore that doesn't get done it's always on the back of your mind eating away at you.
So there you have it. The pro's win by 2pts...therefore I guess I'll go ahead with it.
Perhaps we should weigh some of the pros and cons of this whole triathlon thingy:
Pros:
1. Bragging rights: If I'm going to be perfectly honest I must put this somewhere towards the top of the list. I mean anything with the word "ironman" even when preceded with "half" sounds pretty hardcore.
2. Getting my "tri" body: This in theory sounded really cool about two months ago. Truth be told I look about exactly the same. I mostly blame it on chocolate. But oh well, I'll be equally as thrilled when I'm passing some little 115 lb girl with a killer body and thinking to myself, "yeah, you may have the perfect body...but you're still being beat by the chubby girl. That's just pathetic!"
3. Making the most of my singleness: As you can see, I'm struggling for pros. But lets be honest, real people don't have time in their busy schedules for such self indulgence. So in essence, what I'm saying is graduate students are not actually productive members of society. They are mostly confused young adults trying to buy some time before they have to grow up and decide what to do with the rest of their lives. Okay, so maybe I'm just describing myself :) With that said I'm open to suggestions on what to do with the rest of my life.
4. Road biking: Yes, I have discovered the joys of riding my bike. I'm not sure what makes this so fun, perhaps it's the fact I no longer have to run everyday, or maybe it's all the fun gear, or maybe it's just another device to further prolong my graduation? Anyway, it sure is fun.
5. Stress Reliever: Sometimes there is nothing better than running away for 2 hours, literally :)
Cons:
1. Expensive: I'm too embarrassed to express just exactly how much this race will cost me...but just know it's alot. Entry fees, cost of travel, wetsuit rental (??), tri-clothing, etc. Infact I just purchased a nice set of aero bars for my borrowed bike. I find it slightly ironic I now own aero bars yet no road bike?? I suppose their is only one solution to this problem...I'll have to buy a bike!
2. Time consuming: Seriously it's like a part time job...only you don't get paid.
3. Guilt: Ah, yes the guilt. I suppose this may negate "stress reliever". While it may be a stress reliever on some days other days it's just a chore. And like any other chore that doesn't get done it's always on the back of your mind eating away at you.
So there you have it. The pro's win by 2pts...therefore I guess I'll go ahead with it.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Apparently I'm not as funny as I thought I was!
As many of you know humor is something that is very important to me. How important?? Let's just say it has the potential to make or break a dating relationship.
I'm sure you have all experienced certain "break points" in your vast dating experience. You know, the point where you think in your head, "yeah, this isn't going to work out". I too can specifically recall a few of these experiences.
1) Blind Date Boy:
So if you are single, or have ever been single you have probably had the joy of being set up on a blind date. On one hand it can be very flattering that someone wanted to set you up. Yet more often than not I find myself face to face with a complete stranger thinking, "So this is all you think I'm capable of...gee thanks!" While I may sound like a shallow brat right now, I would like to say this is not the end all "breaking point" I speak of. Oh no, that would definitely be reserved for moments like this:
me: "So what types of things do you like to do?"
blind date boy: "Oh...um...you mean besides learning about history and tracking institute teachers?" (red flag)
me: "Uh yeah, I mean do you like any outdoor activities or do you play any sports?"
blind date boy: "Well, sometimes I play church basketball, but I don't really like it very much. I'm not really an outdoors type of guy." BREAK POINT!
Okay, so not liking the outdoors may not be the worst thing in the world, but this guys definition of adventurous is trying a piece of fried calamari! Definitely not going to work out!
2) JERK FACE:
I would have come up with a different title for my next little example, but that's all that comes to mind. So this is the guy that wanted to "pretend date" me. You know, call me and hang out all the time but never take me out on an "official date". (red flag) What does this mean? It means he never gave me more than 5 minutes notice he wanted to hang out and rarely spent more than a $1 on me at red box! I'm not saying I need any type of Daddy Warbucks...but please, I think I'm at least worth an occasional super value meal at Wendy's! Needless to say I should have ditched this looser JERK FACE long before I actually did.
However the real slap in the face came during a DTR (define the relationship) type conversation. It probably went something like this:
me: "So what the crap is up with you and your JERK FACE ways?? I mean seriously, you seem to like me and yet we never actually seem to go out in public on any type of real date. If my face is horribly disfigured just be straight up and tell me!"
JERK FACE: "The thing is, you're really smart, and really laid back and chill, and you're really cute, and really adventurous, and your pretty funny...BREAK POINT!...but I just got out of a serious relationship and blah, blah, blah...
In case you didn't catch that, please re-read the phrasing. You're really, really, really...blah, blah, blah...really, really, really...blah, blah, blah...and you're pretty funny. EXCUSE ME! Pretty funny, what happened to really funny? Why really, really, really, and then just pretty funny? It's like saying, "and you're kinda funny". RU-UDE!!!
Lets just say I may not be Ellen DeGeneres, but I was definitely funnier than him! I pretty much knew it was over at that point.
The Point of this Post:
So those are just two examples of the "break point", but I'll stop there. The whole point of this was I haven't posted in a while because I couldn't think of anything witty to write, and what's the point of posting if it's not funny?...so I guess I'm just not as funny as I thought I was, (as pointed out by JERK FACE). So with no more side tracks I will now update you on my HALF IRON WOMAN training.
Things have been going really well. I've now reached the ridiculous point where I feel guilty if I only work out an hour a day. An "easy day" is now considered a 6 mile run followed up with a mile swim. However, even more ridiculous than that is my inability to lose any weight! That just goes to show how much I love food. For example, when asked if I wanted a piece of apple pie or a brownie and ice cream, my dear sweet friend Cassie responded for me, "she'll have both". Thanks Cass :) Anyhow, here's some of my stats from the past month:
April 21-27th
ran: 22 miles
biked: 85 miles
swam: 2500 yds
April 28th -May 4th
ran: 30 miles
biked: 73 miles
swam: 4800 yds
May 5-11th
ran: 27.5 miles
biked: 98 miles
swam: 3200 yds
April 12-18th
ran: 22 miles
biked: 114 miles
swam: 3200 yds
Let us keep in mind this is not including an additional 9-12 hours of salsa/week :) I still need to get the battery changed in my heart rate monitor so I can wear it to the club some night. So the tri is only 3 weeks away now! I'm going to make my best attempt to watch what I eat and shed maybe 5-7 lbs before the race. Seriously...just think what I could do for my running economy!
I'm sure you have all experienced certain "break points" in your vast dating experience. You know, the point where you think in your head, "yeah, this isn't going to work out". I too can specifically recall a few of these experiences.
1) Blind Date Boy:
So if you are single, or have ever been single you have probably had the joy of being set up on a blind date. On one hand it can be very flattering that someone wanted to set you up. Yet more often than not I find myself face to face with a complete stranger thinking, "So this is all you think I'm capable of...gee thanks!" While I may sound like a shallow brat right now, I would like to say this is not the end all "breaking point" I speak of. Oh no, that would definitely be reserved for moments like this:
me: "So what types of things do you like to do?"
blind date boy: "Oh...um...you mean besides learning about history and tracking institute teachers?" (red flag)
me: "Uh yeah, I mean do you like any outdoor activities or do you play any sports?"
blind date boy: "Well, sometimes I play church basketball, but I don't really like it very much. I'm not really an outdoors type of guy." BREAK POINT!
Okay, so not liking the outdoors may not be the worst thing in the world, but this guys definition of adventurous is trying a piece of fried calamari! Definitely not going to work out!
2) JERK FACE:
I would have come up with a different title for my next little example, but that's all that comes to mind. So this is the guy that wanted to "pretend date" me. You know, call me and hang out all the time but never take me out on an "official date". (red flag) What does this mean? It means he never gave me more than 5 minutes notice he wanted to hang out and rarely spent more than a $1 on me at red box! I'm not saying I need any type of Daddy Warbucks...but please, I think I'm at least worth an occasional super value meal at Wendy's! Needless to say I should have ditched this looser JERK FACE long before I actually did.
However the real slap in the face came during a DTR (define the relationship) type conversation. It probably went something like this:
me: "So what the crap is up with you and your JERK FACE ways?? I mean seriously, you seem to like me and yet we never actually seem to go out in public on any type of real date. If my face is horribly disfigured just be straight up and tell me!"
JERK FACE: "The thing is, you're really smart, and really laid back and chill, and you're really cute, and really adventurous, and your pretty funny...BREAK POINT!...but I just got out of a serious relationship and blah, blah, blah...
In case you didn't catch that, please re-read the phrasing. You're really, really, really...blah, blah, blah...really, really, really...blah, blah, blah...and you're pretty funny. EXCUSE ME! Pretty funny, what happened to really funny? Why really, really, really, and then just pretty funny? It's like saying, "and you're kinda funny". RU-UDE!!!
Lets just say I may not be Ellen DeGeneres, but I was definitely funnier than him! I pretty much knew it was over at that point.
The Point of this Post:
So those are just two examples of the "break point", but I'll stop there. The whole point of this was I haven't posted in a while because I couldn't think of anything witty to write, and what's the point of posting if it's not funny?...so I guess I'm just not as funny as I thought I was, (as pointed out by JERK FACE). So with no more side tracks I will now update you on my HALF IRON WOMAN training.
Things have been going really well. I've now reached the ridiculous point where I feel guilty if I only work out an hour a day. An "easy day" is now considered a 6 mile run followed up with a mile swim. However, even more ridiculous than that is my inability to lose any weight! That just goes to show how much I love food. For example, when asked if I wanted a piece of apple pie or a brownie and ice cream, my dear sweet friend Cassie responded for me, "she'll have both". Thanks Cass :) Anyhow, here's some of my stats from the past month:
April 21-27th
ran: 22 miles
biked: 85 miles
swam: 2500 yds
April 28th -May 4th
ran: 30 miles
biked: 73 miles
swam: 4800 yds
May 5-11th
ran: 27.5 miles
biked: 98 miles
swam: 3200 yds
April 12-18th
ran: 22 miles
biked: 114 miles
swam: 3200 yds
Let us keep in mind this is not including an additional 9-12 hours of salsa/week :) I still need to get the battery changed in my heart rate monitor so I can wear it to the club some night. So the tri is only 3 weeks away now! I'm going to make my best attempt to watch what I eat and shed maybe 5-7 lbs before the race. Seriously...just think what I could do for my running economy!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Salsa Solo!!!!!
Yes, it's 2:30am...pretty late even for this little salsera, but I am too anxious to give you the latest salsa update.
As you know, tonight was supposed to be the grand opening of the Salsa Loft with various performances including the red jumpsuit routine as well as the little yellow dress. Well, because the universe is inevitably against anything running as I have planned...that's not exactly what happened.
First, the red jumpsuits never came in on time...thus we opted for a more casual look of jeans and white shirts. Small road bump, not a big deal.
Second, as most of my friends do not lead a secret night life, 11pm on a school night was pushing it! When I showed up at 10:10pm and it took my instructor's wife a good 25 minutes just to apply my eye make-up I started to get the impression we weren't going to be starting on time! Starting to feel anxious.
Third, while anxiously twiddling my fingers and trying to hide my impatience as I got my hair curled, my instructor informed us that all the other performances lined up for the evening fell through! Panic rising.
Forth, because my instructor was slightly upset with the flakey performers, he decided to take his retribution in the form of making them perform at the club next week! Thus he decided we would save the little yellow dress routine for next week and only perform Timbalito (redjump suit routine). Now this would have been fine, except for the fact it was now well past 11pm on a school night and my dear friends had been huddled in the back of the club all night doing their best to blend in with the brick wall as they awaited my promised performance.
Well, as many of you know I suck at poker! Meaning the disappointment on my face was a dead give away! Ari asked me what was wrong and as I explained the situation to him he decided there was only one good solution to the problem...
He would perform Mambo Gazon with me at as a solo routine dedicated to my dear friends! Um...panic PEAKING!!
So to wrap this story up, we first performed Timbalito as a group. I'm pretty sure it was the absolute worst run through of the rountine I've ever had! Literally my mind went completely blank more than once as I desperately tried to remember what in the world I was doing amidst the bright lights and smiling faces of all my darling friends. I wish I could have returned a smile or two and wiped the look of utter bewilderment off my face...but I finished the routine none the less.
Next I performed a two second costume change and returned to the dance floor to perform my first ever solo routine! I was terrified, especially after having just slaughtered the first routine! Although I stumbled over my own two feet a few times, this performance went slightly better.
Then of course my heart rate resumed, palms stopped sweating, and I danced like a gem the rest of the evening! So, although I did not sport any sexy salsa outfits and I totally blew both my performances...I totally had a great evening! So thank you so much to all my friends Steph, Travis, Annie, Debbie, Ruth Ann, Cassie, Chelsey, Liz, and Jackie for coming out to support me!!! I love you guys!
Here are some pics from the evening. This is me with my salsa buddies slamming down burgers after the performance at 2am.
Top Row Left to Right: Gary, Ari (my instructor), Marcy (Ari's finacee and my wonderful make-up artist), and me.
Bottom Row Left to Right: Geneve, Alex, Jessie, and DJ Corwin
And, here's me all nappy looking after the dance plus a bunch of close up's of my cool eye make-up!
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