First Time to Tri

I finally made my ass participate in a triathlon. Back in 99, when I lived in CA, I trained for a sprint tri in the Pacific Ocean. I was 30-40 pounds leaner and ready to actually compete-not just finish. The race was on a Sunday and I was baptized in the LDS Church the Saturday before. I thought I should go to church instead.

Last Wednesday, (only a day after reentering the pool in years) I was sharing a lane with a girl who said she was going to do the 4th Street Triathlon on Saturday. I rode home on my bike and thought, I could at least try. So I signed up.

What's interesting to me is earlier that day, I was thinking on my way up to school that my bike is 10 years old now and that I bought it to race and it will never see dirt or a race again. I was lamenting the fact that the old Trek is now just a 'city bike'. To my delight, I was wrong!!!

So why would I sign up for something that I'm not ready for? Seriously folks, I can ride miles on the road but I haven't been on a trail in years. I can swim a few yards but not with any speed and I can't run. I can shuffle for 3 miles on flat pavement but I would be hesitant to call it jogging and I certainly haven't done all three events at once carrying a 30 pound bag on my butt.

Well, I keep saying: when I get in shape (read: lose 30lbs) I will do a tri/race/ _____. You know-- I'm not in shape. I haven't been in shape since I moved to Utah and I probably wont be again. I just don't have the intestinal fortitude to remove the weight.

But I was inspired by the girl in the lane next to me and by Eris-especially Eris. I'm so damn competitive that I keep thinking that it's only good if I do well. I realized from chatting with Eris that I don't have do well in the standings to have fun.

doing well is trying and finishing.

enjoy the pics


clean, happy and nervous.




I almost look like I know what I'm doing, eh? Considering I started swimming on Tuesday of this week after a ten year hiatus, I'm damn glad for muscle memory.



It was all uphill. until the downhill.


Bike to Run Transition. The trails were too muddy, too congested and too to rocky/gravely to get a good drink of water. This my first sip since starting.

Hands down, the cycle was the hardest and the funnest leg of the race. I haven't been mountain biking in almost... 10 years and I've never done it in the mud. I did fall, but it was at the beginning of the leg and at the bottom of an incline. The person in front of me had to hop off and it was in a several inch thick puddle of mud and water. I tried to clip out but the mud/metal/petal/cleat interface wasn't letting me out. so I tipped over, still clipped into my pedals. Ass first and sucked into the mud. It took me a few minutes! yes! to get myself unsucked. I have bruises and cuts to prove it. Thankfully, that was my only fall.




Done! 1:53 and some change. I expected to be the LAST person crossing the finish line and for it to take me 2-1/2 hours or longer. My first words to the volunteers: Can I stop now?



Eating a bagel and standing next to my old, but trusty steed.



Just in case i didn't make it clear how muddy it was....

best earth day ever

i saw eris nekkid!!!

yep. we showered together.

well, not really but she was in the locker room with me after i went swimming and she was in the shower stall next to mine. as is my custom, in invited myself into her personal space and talked her ear off about really deep things until my class started.

it seems she's not offended by my loud cackle and foul mouthin' ways.

score!!!

see, i'm a simple girl, i only have two requests in my dealings with people and that is that they don't have a corn cob up their ass (read: knows how to laugh and doesn't take themselves seriously) and that they don't take offense at my notsonicetmormonladyways.

eris passed the test.

i have a new girl crush....yes i do. yes i do.
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.are we freaking you out numi?

Earth Day.

pswhhhaw...earth day is for ametuers.

ok, i'm being mean. but if you are new to the who "green" thing and you've just started trying to do little things here and there to be more earth friendly,(tho, i like to think of it as human species friendly) here is the number one best thing you can do to be environmentally friendly.

CONSUME LESS.


consume less electricity: turn off the lights, tv, computer (yes!)

consume less natural gas: keep your thermostat low. we keep ours
at 58 in the winter. sweaters and wool socks work, i promise. but even keeping it at 62-63 will make a difference

consume less meat: reduce your meat to once or twice a week and you’ll be amazed at how much money you save.

consume less new stuff: all those things we like to buy have a cost that’s not factored into them at the checkout. it’s usually a human and environmental cost that would make you sick to your stomach if you actually knew. i’m not saying not to buy stuff. it’s fun. but buy less stuff.

consume less petrol: i’ve done posts on this in the past. ride your bike! take the bus. at least one day a week but aim for 3. you’ll save so much money in the long run, i promise.

consume less water: “if it aint yellow, let it mellow” is a motto in many homes now so you won't be the only one.

and dry your clothes on a line. it's free free free!

ps. buy a tree from a local nursery. trees are carbon sinks. if you live in a place where you can’t plant it, put it in a pot on your porch or donate it to a friend who can plant it.

k. i'm stepping down off my soapbox now.

actually, never was on. even if you don't care one iota about the environment, doing the following is also good common sense in these unstable economic times. why throw money away, i say.

plus, riding your bike home is a really good way to depressurize and burn a few calories and be a part of the world.

Tuesday foolishness...

there's going to be a whole lot of bushy tops marrying muffin tops in the next few years. wonder what the kids will look like?

a little something to make you question your world view.

US population: 304 million, 486 thousand*

US births annually: 4 million, 354 thousand

that's a lot of i pods, cell phones, laptops, cars, seven jeans, and 3000 sf homes

...and a lot of resources. where do they come from? and who really pays?




* prb.org