The Three Bears Don't Like Me!

So yesterday Maureen and I tried to go on our Three Bears bike marker: 35 miles including a few hills that are even harder than the three bears according to me (and I am an expert on what is difficult). We did the first two hills and were almost in Orinda when we heard this loud pop. I could have sworn I felt something shoot out of my tire.  My back tire had gone flat, and Maureen was kind enough to point out that she has been smelling my bike brakes rubbing against the tire since we had started out.  :)

So anyway, three tubes, 4 CO2 canisters, and one broken little hook thingy which I don't know the name of later and my tire was still flat!  Yep...the first tube, was obviously popped...although we couldn't find the hole. The second one had a big hole (which we found after it took me 30 minutes to put it in the tire). And then the third one had a broken stem, so every time we tried to fill it up the air would leak out quickly before I could close it...of course I thought I didn't know how to blow it up, so I used 3 CO2s trying to fill up that one!

Finally we realized that we only had one tube left, and no CO2, so we had to call Steve who came to rescue us!

My tire is still flat, and we only biked 6 miles...but surprisingly it took us 2 and a half hours for the whole ordeal and my HR monitor still said I burned over 1,000 calories. I guess frustration takes energy!

So this was my second attempt at the Three Bears marker...last time it was pouring rain and I got sick.  So I am thinking maybe the Three Bears are trying to tell me to switch to the Calaveras Bike Marker. Phil, Grace, and Marina, I may be seeing you next time!

Good thing I still look cute in the Iron Team gear...even if I wasn't going anywhere! :)

Bootcamp: 2 days, 14 hours, rain, snow, mud....Swim, Bike, Run...FUN!!!!

Well I made it through my first bootcamp with Iron Team...I am pretty exhausted right now...partly because I celebrated being done this morning with Aly drinking mimosas....but anyway...I will tell this weekend's story in pictures:


Saturday was at Lake Del Valle:

First we had to bike up into the mountain...in the snow!

Then we got back and had to spin for hours

Then it was time to put on our wetsuits...Jasmine and I were told that if we thought it would be fun...it would be.

I don't really know if that was true...it was freakin' freezing!

But we all ironed up and went on our swim.

Then it was time for hill repeats in the rain on the muddy path...at least it warmed us up!

And then we got to spin some more!

Finally it was time for stretching and we were done!

So after 7 hours 59 minutes and 55 seconds of training...we thought we deserved a treat....

  

Then it was home to sleep so we could get back up at 5:30am the next morning and do it again!

This time it was at Indian Campus, College of Marin, in Novato...so we got to swim for two hours in a pool and it was mostly sunny all day!

Notice how much happier I am?

We got to practice racing like in open water in the nice warm pool! Thank you coaches!

Then of course we had a spin/run/core...spin/run/core brick...and ok, it was still a little cold at points...hence the scarf. 

After the first run, we all got back to our bikes and found that our tires were flat.  For some reason we didn't like the coaches so much at this point anymore...but I changed my first tube by myself fairly quickly, so then I started liking them again.

And of course every spin/run/core brick has to have dips!

And sumo squats. 

So that was my weekend.  8 hours of training on Saturday, 6 on Sunday. It was absolutely the best weekend I have had in a long time!

GO TEAM! IRON TEAM!

I just want to say before I go...that I feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing group of people. I look forward to every time I get to see them all.  And on top of that, I am so lucky to have so many friends and family who aren't on the team, but who have been supporting me, and donating on my behalf, and encouraging me to do this.  I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world.  So thank you all my friends and family for being such great people!

What Will You Be Doing This Weekend? I Will Be Suffering!

So this weekend is bootcamp #1. We will be spending both Saturday and Sunday working out from morning til night.  Look at the crazy schedule:

Saturday, 2/19
Lake Del Valle
Livermore, CA - Lake Del Valle

7:45am – Arrive
8:00am – Workout Begins
8:00am to 9:00am – Spin
9:00am to 9:30am – Wetsuit/OW Clinic
9:30am to 10:30am – OW Swim
10:30am to 11:00am - Change & Announcements
11:15am to 3:00pm – Bike (HILLS)
3:00pm to 4:00pm – Trail Run
4:00pm to 5:00pm - Core


Sunday, 2/20
IVC (College of Marin, Indian Valley Campus)
1800 Ignacio Blvd., Novato - IVC

7:45am – Arrive
8:00am – Workout Begins
8:00am to 9:00am – Swim Video Analysis, Swim Drills
9:00am to 9:40am – Swim workout
9:45am to 10:00am – Group Swim
10:00am to 10:30am – Change & Announcements
10:30am to 11:15am – Run Video Analysis
11:30am to 3:00pm – Spin/Run/Core Brick

I will be sure to have pictures posted next week.  Stayed tuned!

Happy Valentine's Day!

So it's raining and cold outside, but I think it is such a perfect day for Valentine's Day...what better reason to snuggle up close with someone you love? Plus I got a beautiful ride in on Saturday so it can rain all week if it likes...well at least until Saturday that is, when our bootcamp starts.

So this weekend I went riding with Jonathan, Eddie, Dave, Nicole, and Sherri. We did a 42 mile loop from El Cerrito into Berkeley, up the hills to Tilden then along Grizzly Peak to Skyline, then down Pinehurst into Moraga.  Then we took Moraga way to Camino Pablo to San Pablo Dam road and followed all the way back around into El Cerrito again.  I was super happy because there were some good climbs...but nothing so bad that people were mad at me for picking the route...in fact everyone said it was a good route.  So hopefully this will make up for making all my friends go one Devil's slide last October. 

So after our ride I had my birthday party...which was tons of fun.  It was so good to see all my friends...the only thing I wish was that I had more time to hang out which each of them.  My plan had been to drink from 4pm to 6pm and then switch to water...because the Iron Team had an Olympic Triathlon to do on Sunday morning.  Needless to say, that didn't really happen, and I showed up at the event about 4 hours late...with the keg in my car...

But I will make up for it next weekend since we are having bootcamp for two days in a row where we will apparently be swimming, biking, running, and doing core from 8am until 5pm both days! 

OMG....Just 200 more days!

I can't believe it.  Ironman Canada is in 200 days!  Maybe this explains my weird dream last night.  I dreamt I was in  Canada and it was the night before my race.  I was freaking out because I hadn't made any sandwiches to eat on the bike ride, and when I went to make them I only found peanut butter and no jelly.  I also realized I didn't know what time the race started and I didn't know what time to set my alarm clock for!

I sure hope this doesn't mean I will be having anxiety dreams for the next 200 days!

It's all going to be fine, right?  These next 200 days are going to be fun filled and exciting!  Oh, especially since I am now starting Operation EWGSA (Embo Won't Get Sick Anymore) which involves NOT waking up anymore at 4:30am for swims, and closing my eHarmony account.  You know those dating websites need to come with a warning label: "CAUTION: Do not attempt to use while training for an Ironman, may be bad for your health!"

Saturday's 42 Mile Ride...anyone want to join me?

For My Birthday I Want a Cure

People have been asking me what I want for my birthday next week...and there really isn't anything I want except for donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Your donation can help save lives, and that would be the best present ever.  I'm halfway to my goal of $8,000, and with all of my friends and family's help I know I can get there.



James After his Second Bone Marrow Transplant



The Power of Your Money

 

$1000   Supports one week’s salary for a medical researcher at UCSF, Stanford or Berkeley (Go Bears!) who may discovery key information to developing curative treatments for blood cancers

$500   Provides a blood cancer patient with financial assistance for one year to help with transportation and co-pays

$200   funds one Family Support Group meeting of 9-15 participants; the SF Bay Ara chapter has 9 monthly support group meetings

$150   allows 5 patients to make a First Connection with a trained peer volunteer

$100   provides 3 patients access to an information teleconference

$75     is the average cost of tissue typing to become a bone marrow donor

$50     is the cost of a CT scan

$40     is the cost of sending a comprehensive packet of information for children with cancer

$35     pays for transportation expenses for a patient living in Northern California’s most rural areas to get to treatment at a comprehensive cancer center

$25     covers a single prescription co-payment

$5        is the const of sending a newly diagnosed patient information about support and their disease.

Maybe It's not About Just Pushing Through It

So in my last post I talked about how I had gotten through a 38 mile ride in the rain, and how I felt so good that I actually did it.  Which it did feel good that I had done it...but at the same time...I now realize that it probably cost me a lot more than I was bargaining for to do it.  I had said I was losing my voice on Sunday, now it's Wednesday and I have been feeling like crap all week, and just getting worse.  Today I woke up and could hardly swallow because my throat hurts.  I haven't been able to train because I've been sick, and today I couldn't even go to work.

So...maybe in the future I shouldn't think I need to do everything the training schedule says. And I think also I might avoid biking in the rain.  I mean I own a trainer, and although 3 hours on a trainer sounds kind of boring, I am sure I could find something on netflix to watch to make it go by faster.

Now...maybe this had nothing to do with my ride in the rain, maybe it was just a coincidence. I mean my roommate has been sick for two weeks and a bunch of my friends were getting sick too. But I don't think being in the cold rain could have helped.  So in the future, I think I need to think a little bit more before I decide I just need to push through something.

All I can say now, is that at least I get to eat frozen yogurt and fruit smoothies all day.  I hope I feel better soon.I have so much to do this week and weekend.