I updated my fundraising blog today and the link is here.
I spent my holiday doing mundane things - started off Monday doing the Santa Monica stairs with the extra wonderful Jenna Phillips, so of course my legs hurt for the rest of the day.
I then pedaled (slooowly) to the grocery store and got enough stuff to cook meals for the rest of the week. Polenta with fresh corn (chilled and sliced, it's really damn tasty), kale salad, quinoa, etc..
Since there was no master's swim yesterday due to the holiday, I'm going to swim for about 1/2 an hour and then bike out to the garden to water the baby tomato plants.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wheeeeee!!!!
Today was an hour long ride, concentrating on speed.
Not just maintaining a fast pace, but staying sane while flying along at what seems dangerously fast given how little padding I'm wearing while I ride. Gary, of course, is rock solid - not a shake or shiver no matter how fast I push him, but me? I suck. As soon as I get up above 20 mph, my head starts to mess with me, no matter what I do (look forward, not down, ogle hot bike racer guy riding just ahead of me, etc...)
I'm certain the cure is just more road time, so I headed out to San Vicente Blvd in Santa Monica, aka bike racer central (it has a long stretch with no lights or stop signs, a good bike lane and it's freshly paved), and concentrated on staying around 20 mph, and as fast as i could stand it on the downhills (top speed? about 25 mph, but I almost wet my pants while I was doing it). Upside, 20 mph only seems slightly scary now.
I did about 20k in an hour, which isn't super fast, but it's a good start.
Now, off to stretch before work tonight.
Not just maintaining a fast pace, but staying sane while flying along at what seems dangerously fast given how little padding I'm wearing while I ride. Gary, of course, is rock solid - not a shake or shiver no matter how fast I push him, but me? I suck. As soon as I get up above 20 mph, my head starts to mess with me, no matter what I do (look forward, not down, ogle hot bike racer guy riding just ahead of me, etc...)
I'm certain the cure is just more road time, so I headed out to San Vicente Blvd in Santa Monica, aka bike racer central (it has a long stretch with no lights or stop signs, a good bike lane and it's freshly paved), and concentrated on staying around 20 mph, and as fast as i could stand it on the downhills (top speed? about 25 mph, but I almost wet my pants while I was doing it). Upside, 20 mph only seems slightly scary now.
I did about 20k in an hour, which isn't super fast, but it's a good start.
Now, off to stretch before work tonight.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Busy Saturday
Saturday started out with an 8 am group run for Team in Training. I worked late the night before, so I didn't have a lot of sleep and didn't have time to eat before I left home - I just grabbed the bike and headed out.
The run was good. Earlier in the week I found a pair of the K-Swiss blades at the discount shoe store, and Saturday was the first run on them. I was worried that they didn't have enough arch support, but they're really comfy, lightweight and since they don't have laces, I didn't have to worry about shoe tying at all. Even though I wasn't wearing socks I got no blisters and had none of my usual lace-related numb toes.
We ran about a 5k in the park and afterwards I was so hungry I could have eaten most of my teammates. I had a Lara bar, which, although not very satisfying, did prevent any cannibalism on my part.
Right after the run, I went to the Santa Monica farmer's market to get veggies, then went back out to the park and did Mission: Possible with Jenna Phillips (core workout, heavy on the yoga based strength moves. It's surprisingly ass-kicking and if you're in the area, I recommend it). Of course, since I'd run a 5k earlier in the day, Jenna made us do 50 yard sprints.
After a quick trip home to change into less smelly clothes and put on some makeup, I went to the Montana Ave sidewalk sale. A friend's tea store was having it's grand opening so I wanted to swing by and offer moral support.
There wasn't much for me to buy on the sidewalks. Most of my impulse purchases fall into the realm of sporting goods, and all the shops seemed to have were foofy dresses, high heels and lingerie for women with no boobs.
The notable exception was the knitting store, who had a super amazing sale. I got four skeins of 'cashwool' which are normally $30 per for $10 each. Score. Only problem was getting everything home, since I only had the grocery bag pannier with me.
After finding my friend's tea shop, I sat and chatted for a while until my legs started to stiffen up, so I pedaled back home, sat in the tub for a while and then watched old episodes of 'Numbers' on Netflix while rubbing my legs and being bummed that the Rapture didn't happen (I was all set to loot).
Today is my rest day so I'm going to go do a yoga class and then sit in the hot tub at the gym.
The run was good. Earlier in the week I found a pair of the K-Swiss blades at the discount shoe store, and Saturday was the first run on them. I was worried that they didn't have enough arch support, but they're really comfy, lightweight and since they don't have laces, I didn't have to worry about shoe tying at all. Even though I wasn't wearing socks I got no blisters and had none of my usual lace-related numb toes.
We ran about a 5k in the park and afterwards I was so hungry I could have eaten most of my teammates. I had a Lara bar, which, although not very satisfying, did prevent any cannibalism on my part.
Right after the run, I went to the Santa Monica farmer's market to get veggies, then went back out to the park and did Mission: Possible with Jenna Phillips (core workout, heavy on the yoga based strength moves. It's surprisingly ass-kicking and if you're in the area, I recommend it). Of course, since I'd run a 5k earlier in the day, Jenna made us do 50 yard sprints.
After a quick trip home to change into less smelly clothes and put on some makeup, I went to the Montana Ave sidewalk sale. A friend's tea store was having it's grand opening so I wanted to swing by and offer moral support.
 |
| the dress hides the padded bike shorts |
There wasn't much for me to buy on the sidewalks. Most of my impulse purchases fall into the realm of sporting goods, and all the shops seemed to have were foofy dresses, high heels and lingerie for women with no boobs.
 |
| Mmmm.. yarn.. |
 |
| Santa Monica PD horses. |
After finding my friend's tea shop, I sat and chatted for a while until my legs started to stiffen up, so I pedaled back home, sat in the tub for a while and then watched old episodes of 'Numbers' on Netflix while rubbing my legs and being bummed that the Rapture didn't happen (I was all set to loot).
 |
| It's so ugly I love it. No, I didn't buy it. |
Today is my rest day so I'm going to go do a yoga class and then sit in the hot tub at the gym.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Race Report and Facepalm
Of course, the night before the race, my next door neighbor had a loud party that wound down about midnight, so when I woke up on race morning, I felt tired and crappy, which I attributed to it being 5 am and only having had a few hours sleep. I pulled myself out of bed, really thought hard about just blowing off the race, but I forced down some breakfast, grabbed a few things and then headed out the door. Had I not packed the car the night before, I probably would have just stayed in bed.
By the time I got to the race, I didn't feel better and I wasn't really excited about the race at all. I was just waiting for it to start, so it would be over sooner. I ran into some folks from my master's swim group, and we chatted for a bit before heading to the lake to start the swim. Of course, the swim didn't start on time, and then there were delays between waves because the lifeguards were on surfboards and were following the swimmers along the course so we had to wait for them to come back to the start. Fine with me. I love lifeguards, and I love having them nearby when I'm swimming.
Once the swim started, I felt like there was a rock on my chest. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't find a rhythm at all. For the first 50 meters, I kind of freaked out about the low visibility, but that went away fairly quickly. Sadly, the struggling didn't go away. I completed a 300 meter swim in 11 minutes (ouch!). I staggered out of the water and felt way worse than I should have for having gone that slow. Instead of running out of the water, I walked slowly to T1 and then stood there for far too long, contemplating just packing it in.
I figured that I'd settle in on the bike, so I peeled off my wetsuit, put on the bike shoes (still moving really slowly), grabbed Gary and headed out.
The bike course was really hilly, and part of it was over some of Los Angeles' famously crappy pavement (and part of the course was on an open road, so motorists were trying to kill me, at least that's what it felt like to me). I ended up getting freaked out about going too fast and held Gary to about 20 mph on the downhills. I never got off the small chainring, which was a shame because when I did manage to put forth some effort (not easy as I was still struggling), Gary tore those hills up. Guess I need to put in some more miles going down hills, because Gary could have easily kept up with the really fast riders had I let him.
My bike time was 34:36, which isn't great but not unexpected given my going so slow down the hills.
Where I really started flailing was on the run. What I didn't know was that the 5k at this race was a trail run. I hate trail running. It's dirty and the surface is uneven and there are critters.
Dammit, if I wanted to do Xterra, I'd have done Xterra.
The course wound its way through fields of stinging nettles and those horrible yellow flowers that make my sinuses clog up, with one out-and-back loop through a smelly muddy swamp worthy of 'Deliverance'. I swear I heard banjos at one point.
I figured I was feeling so bad because of the pollen – there wasn't enough Claritin in the world to get me through that course alive. I ended up pacing a 65 year old woman and barely being able to keep up with her.
Once I got free of the pollinator and back into clear air, I didn't feel any better but managed to marginally pick up the pace. Sadly, it was too little, too late. I staggered to the finish with a run time of 37:24, and an overall race time of 1:33:06.
That's beyond 'ouch'. That's 'put a bag over my head and slink off' bad.
To add insult to injury, as I was coming to the finish line, the stoner-type dude with the microphone announced "and here comes Rachel Wells, holding HIS arms up in triumph."
Great. Kick me while I'm down, why don't you.
I thought about sticking around for the awards, but started feeling really, really bad so I went home. When I got home, I felt feverish and achy so I took my temperature and it was 100.1.
I still feel like I should have been able to do better than that even with a fever.
Of course, the doctor didn't warn me that I might run a fever after the TDAP. I had to call my sister (the best R.N. In the world) and ask about it.
After she finished laughing at me, she confirmed that the fever was vaccine related and I'd probably made it worse by trying to be macha and power through.
Awesome. I did nothing all day yesterday except walk to the store across across the street, and I still feel like crap today. I'd planned to go for a run today, but I guess I'll settle for a cup of tea and a nap and then we'll see if I feel well enough to swim tonight.
By the time I got to the race, I didn't feel better and I wasn't really excited about the race at all. I was just waiting for it to start, so it would be over sooner. I ran into some folks from my master's swim group, and we chatted for a bit before heading to the lake to start the swim. Of course, the swim didn't start on time, and then there were delays between waves because the lifeguards were on surfboards and were following the swimmers along the course so we had to wait for them to come back to the start. Fine with me. I love lifeguards, and I love having them nearby when I'm swimming.
Once the swim started, I felt like there was a rock on my chest. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't find a rhythm at all. For the first 50 meters, I kind of freaked out about the low visibility, but that went away fairly quickly. Sadly, the struggling didn't go away. I completed a 300 meter swim in 11 minutes (ouch!). I staggered out of the water and felt way worse than I should have for having gone that slow. Instead of running out of the water, I walked slowly to T1 and then stood there for far too long, contemplating just packing it in.
I figured that I'd settle in on the bike, so I peeled off my wetsuit, put on the bike shoes (still moving really slowly), grabbed Gary and headed out.
 |
| Gary is ready to go. |
The bike course was really hilly, and part of it was over some of Los Angeles' famously crappy pavement (and part of the course was on an open road, so motorists were trying to kill me, at least that's what it felt like to me). I ended up getting freaked out about going too fast and held Gary to about 20 mph on the downhills. I never got off the small chainring, which was a shame because when I did manage to put forth some effort (not easy as I was still struggling), Gary tore those hills up. Guess I need to put in some more miles going down hills, because Gary could have easily kept up with the really fast riders had I let him.
My bike time was 34:36, which isn't great but not unexpected given my going so slow down the hills.
Where I really started flailing was on the run. What I didn't know was that the 5k at this race was a trail run. I hate trail running. It's dirty and the surface is uneven and there are critters.
Dammit, if I wanted to do Xterra, I'd have done Xterra.
The course wound its way through fields of stinging nettles and those horrible yellow flowers that make my sinuses clog up, with one out-and-back loop through a smelly muddy swamp worthy of 'Deliverance'. I swear I heard banjos at one point.
I figured I was feeling so bad because of the pollen – there wasn't enough Claritin in the world to get me through that course alive. I ended up pacing a 65 year old woman and barely being able to keep up with her.
Once I got free of the pollinator and back into clear air, I didn't feel any better but managed to marginally pick up the pace. Sadly, it was too little, too late. I staggered to the finish with a run time of 37:24, and an overall race time of 1:33:06.
That's beyond 'ouch'. That's 'put a bag over my head and slink off' bad.
To add insult to injury, as I was coming to the finish line, the stoner-type dude with the microphone announced "and here comes Rachel Wells, holding HIS arms up in triumph."
Great. Kick me while I'm down, why don't you.
I thought about sticking around for the awards, but started feeling really, really bad so I went home. When I got home, I felt feverish and achy so I took my temperature and it was 100.1.
I still feel like I should have been able to do better than that even with a fever.
Of course, the doctor didn't warn me that I might run a fever after the TDAP. I had to call my sister (the best R.N. In the world) and ask about it.
After she finished laughing at me, she confirmed that the fever was vaccine related and I'd probably made it worse by trying to be macha and power through.
Awesome. I did nothing all day yesterday except walk to the store across across the street, and I still feel like crap today. I'd planned to go for a run today, but I guess I'll settle for a cup of tea and a nap and then we'll see if I feel well enough to swim tonight.
Friday, May 13, 2011
And we're off!
The car's all loaded up tonight because it's race day tomorrow - it's the LA tri series #2 in San Dimas (drive east until you reach the middle of nowhere, continue 10 miles, then turn left). I'm just doing the sprint distance (300m swim, 13.5k bike and 5k run), but it'll be my first mass swim start ever, so I'm kind of nervous.
I've spent this week trying to get Gary's handlebar situation worked out (they keep sagging mid-ride - Gary's terribly embarrassed and swears this has never, ever happened before), and now I think everything's good to go, although I'm taking the hex set with me just in case.
Transition opens at 6, but since my wave doesn't go off until 8:25, I probably won't get there until about 6:30. Yes, I know all the good spots on the racks will be gone, but I'm probably going to be near the back of the pack so it shouldn't be too crowded during transitions, and I want to sleep the extra half-hour.
My main concern tonight is that I got a tetanus shot at my yearly checkup today, and my arm hurts like hell tonight. Hopefully it'll be better in the morning.
Check back for a race report, and I'll see if I can get any photos. Last time I just didn't think about it.
I've spent this week trying to get Gary's handlebar situation worked out (they keep sagging mid-ride - Gary's terribly embarrassed and swears this has never, ever happened before), and now I think everything's good to go, although I'm taking the hex set with me just in case.
Transition opens at 6, but since my wave doesn't go off until 8:25, I probably won't get there until about 6:30. Yes, I know all the good spots on the racks will be gone, but I'm probably going to be near the back of the pack so it shouldn't be too crowded during transitions, and I want to sleep the extra half-hour.
My main concern tonight is that I got a tetanus shot at my yearly checkup today, and my arm hurts like hell tonight. Hopefully it'll be better in the morning.
Check back for a race report, and I'll see if I can get any photos. Last time I just didn't think about it.
Monday, May 9, 2011
A peek inside my fridge and an interesting challenge
I've never been much of one for junk food. All in all, I eat pretty healthy (except the occasional slice of pizza and sake - not together, of course), but it's time to really step up to the plate, so to speak.
Can I, for the next 30 days, eat no processed foods and no sugar?
This is my own interpretation of the Whole 30 challenge - I don't want to do the paleo/primal version that's presented on the website, as I don't feel well when I'm on any sort of low-carb diet, so I'm going to modify - plenty of good healthy complex carbs, no sugar and (shocker for me) no alcohol.
Not even on weekends.
One month of eating in a truly healthy manner.
We'll see how I do when confronted with an empty afternoon and happy hour right around the corner. Right now, I'm enjoying one last glass of sake, and then it's on the straight and narrow for the next four weeks.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Grocery bag pannier official road test
Yesterday, I rode from my home in West LA to my community garden plot in West Hollywood. It's about 18 miles round trip, and doesn't have any really big hills - although the gentle rolling swells of asphalt on Santa Monica Blvd in Century City are daunting when one's got a headwind.
Since I was bringing my long-handled pruners to cut up my fava bean plants, I chose to take the new grocery bag pannier so I could just drop the pruners in and leave the handles sticking up out of the bag. Also I was bringing a bin of kitchen scraps to dump into the composter that's in the garden plot.
The grocery bag pannier is way easier to get on and off the bike and the open top design makes access easier, but it doesn't feel as stable as the heavier duty compression type panniers, especially on the beat up pavement of Los Angeles' notoriously bad roads. The bag shook a lot as we rolled over potholes and steel plates, and I started to get concerned that the plastic clips holding it to the rack were going to break.
I made it to the garden, did my thing and then stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home. They had five pound bags of pears, but I didn't feel the pannier was sturdy enough to hold them, so I just got a bottle of water and a discounted bottle of tempranillo. Yum.
So, verdict? Good for short trips, but I don't think I'll use it for a cross town haul again.
The ride home was into a strong headwind the entire way, so I spent most of the ride trying to find a gear which would allow me to make some progress but not burn out my quads.
I never managed to find it, so by the time I got home my legs felt like lead, which I guess is good exercise.
Since I was bringing my long-handled pruners to cut up my fava bean plants, I chose to take the new grocery bag pannier so I could just drop the pruners in and leave the handles sticking up out of the bag. Also I was bringing a bin of kitchen scraps to dump into the composter that's in the garden plot.
The grocery bag pannier is way easier to get on and off the bike and the open top design makes access easier, but it doesn't feel as stable as the heavier duty compression type panniers, especially on the beat up pavement of Los Angeles' notoriously bad roads. The bag shook a lot as we rolled over potholes and steel plates, and I started to get concerned that the plastic clips holding it to the rack were going to break.
I made it to the garden, did my thing and then stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home. They had five pound bags of pears, but I didn't feel the pannier was sturdy enough to hold them, so I just got a bottle of water and a discounted bottle of tempranillo. Yum.
So, verdict? Good for short trips, but I don't think I'll use it for a cross town haul again.
The ride home was into a strong headwind the entire way, so I spent most of the ride trying to find a gear which would allow me to make some progress but not burn out my quads.
I never managed to find it, so by the time I got home my legs felt like lead, which I guess is good exercise.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The pool water needs a twist of lime
I love masters swimming. My swim group are a very nice bunch of folks who push me to push myself, and the coach is a great guy, even if he does yell at people a lot ("finish that stroke!" "stop on that wall again and I'll get in that lane with you!").
But every so often I just have a bad swim day. Yesterday, my sinuses just wouldn't clear (hello summer) so I had a terrible time breathing and for some reason it was "throw water in Rachel's face" day at the pool.
No matter which side I breathed out of, I got either elbow water from the person passing me or a big wave if I breathed toward the wall.
By the end of the hour I'd swallowed about three gallons of pool water, which was much less refreshing than one might imagine.
Since it was so hot yesterday, I didn't ride my bike the 6 miles to the gym like I usually do, which, in retrospect was a good thing since I'm not sure I'd have made it home on a tummy full of pool water.
Well, I might have, but I I'd have left an awful mess somewhere along the way.
Today, I'm going to the beach to practice ocean swimming, by which I mean I'm going to wade into the water and float until I'm numb. Then, I'll go to the farmer's market and buy some stuff that I don't have to cook.
But every so often I just have a bad swim day. Yesterday, my sinuses just wouldn't clear (hello summer) so I had a terrible time breathing and for some reason it was "throw water in Rachel's face" day at the pool.
No matter which side I breathed out of, I got either elbow water from the person passing me or a big wave if I breathed toward the wall.
By the end of the hour I'd swallowed about three gallons of pool water, which was much less refreshing than one might imagine.
Since it was so hot yesterday, I didn't ride my bike the 6 miles to the gym like I usually do, which, in retrospect was a good thing since I'm not sure I'd have made it home on a tummy full of pool water.
Well, I might have, but I I'd have left an awful mess somewhere along the way.
Today, I'm going to the beach to practice ocean swimming, by which I mean I'm going to wade into the water and float until I'm numb. Then, I'll go to the farmer's market and buy some stuff that I don't have to cook.
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