Those damn PI ads again

A few weeks ago, IMAble got a little miffed at the Pearl Izumi ads. I just got done being just as mad. Opened up my Runner's World and saw the latest (I hadn't bothered to go out to their site and see the whole campaign yet -- I'd link but I don't want to drive any traffic to them) and it just pissed me off again. Twice.

Joggers mostly stick to gentrified stretches of pedestrian walkways, where they can exchange greetings with in-line skaters or purchase a snow-cone if the fancy strike them.

WTF?? First of all, in-line skaters are freakin' athletes too. I've spent more than a fair share of time around those folks, if you haven't figured out by my blog name. For the better part of four years I spent 3-6 days a week at the roller rink and out at the dam with the inline speed skaters as they went ridiculous speeds with nothing protecting them but a helmet. The fastest of them went around a 100-meter track in about 7 seconds. And I think one or two of them have found some success on ice as Olympic Gold medalists. So leave the inline skaters out of it, m'kay?? The one and only time I tried it I ended up on my ass on the hardwood.

But, that's to be expected, isn't it? Since according to PI, I'm not even a runner since I'm slow? I might at any moment be seized by the need to stop and buy a freakin' snow cone (2nd thing to hack me off). Last I checked, the snow cone stands weren't open at 6:00 am on a Sunday when I'm doing a long run, oh, sorry, JOG, as I am training for a marathon.

My husband is in advertising and has been for 15 years. I know what goes into the planning and execution of an ad campaign. There was thought and debate about this at several stages within the company and the ad agency; if there wasn't there should have been. But I think they knew what they were doing and thought it might get publicity with the controversy. But the true goal of a good company shouldn't be to alienate a large segment of the consumer base they're going after. If they dont' care about that, then I dont' care about them.

I am not an elite runner. Never will be. According to them, I'm not even a runner. And never will be. Well, bite me, PI. I'm off to buy a new pair of shoes -- my old ones have 500 miles on them. 500 miles of jogging since the first of January. But I guess someone else will have to sell me my new jogging shoes, since I sure as shit aint buying yours.

can I go to bed now??

How 'bout now? Now??

Ugh, just finished working (for tonight anyway) on a big project and I am very, very tired. I did not run 6 miles this morning. I ran 5.2 at the gym this evening. I'd have finished it out, but I ran short on time -- the kids' play area was closing and I had to claim my sweaty little bouncy kid. The other one did 15 minutes on the elliptical before his foot started bothering him, then switched to the exercycle for half an hour of cycling. But he was ready to head home too.

I'm not sure when I'll fit in the run tomorrow -- I am certainly NOT getting up at 5:00 and the Elder Child has hockey at one rink at 7:45 while Hub has hockey at a different rink at 8:00. Nice scheduling there, dontcha know? Maybe at lunchtime.

Must sleep. Now. See you on Friday.... wait, it's already Friday. Sheesh, I must go.

Da doo doo doo, da da da da

Is it Wednesday already?? Hell, is it almost July already?? Where has the summer gone? It doesn’t even really feel like summer yet – with all the rain around here lately, it feels like it’s still April/May in these parts. All I can say is that I’m glad I’m not traveling right now – I’d never get home with all these t-storms rolling in late afternoons.

The Police were awesome last night. Didn’t play Synchronicity, but that was about the only song that was missing. Awesome version of Roxanne, and they did kind of a combo of the original Don’t Stand So Close to Me and the later slower remix (which I HATED when that came out!!). Funny how 25 years and becoming a parent changes your perspective – when I was 13, that song made me think about the hot teacher in school, but now, hearing it again, it’s just creepy and icky and “Oh, my god, don’t get in his car!!! You wait for the damn bus, I don’t care how much it's raining!!” Actually, hearing all the Police songs at one time like that really highlights how dysfunctional and mentally unstable most of those lyrics are – we’ve got prostitution, stalking, suicide, molestation. Nice. But what pop act of the Aughts makes Oedipus references and uses words like “fruition” in their lyrics these days, I ask ya?!

Hub bought us shirts – I got the retro one with their faces on it, he got the “official” shirt with all the concert dates on the back. He’ll never wear his – it will go in the drawer next to the one from the Depeche Mode 101 Tour and the U2 Joshua Tree tour from 1987.

Oh, and btw, Sting looks pretty much the same as he did back in the 80s heyday. I’m quite convinced he’s got a poster of himself from Dune in his attic aging like Regis Philbin, he’s got to. Dang. Roger Daltrey looks pretty good from across the arena, but up close, like on that CSI episode he guest-starred in, not so much. But Sting, wow. That tantric yoga, clean living stuff must work!!

The only thing that was not fun about the show was the guy sitting next to me kept getting up for beers, which would have been OK if I hadn’t had to keep standing up and sitting down again (plus all the jumping up whenever they played something cool). The lunges and squats from Monday left my legs sore, sore, sore. Hurt-to-sit-down sore. Not-even-after-a-marathon sore. Ouch. And it’s worse today. So between that and not getting home until nearly midnight, I did NOT run this morning. I will do it tonight, scout’s honor. And more weights are on tap too. Which means I’ll do 3 miles today before I do weights (or after, I never can remember which you’re supposed to do first) and 6 tomorrow, in the morning. Really, I will. Seriously. Promise.

Update: Did another set of weights and such (the crunches and squats HURT today), then went swimming with the Elder Child. He has his own gym membership now, so he was thrilled to use his little card for the first time. We did 100 yds warmup, then a 700 yard set that went like this:
50 * 4
100 * 2
50 * 4
25 * 4
There was very little rest between sets there, but the good news is that I was able to do the 100 yard segments at a stretch without having to stop at the end of the pool and recover. I could just hit the wall, turn around and go. This is big-time progress for me. Then when we got home, I jumped on the TM for a bit (had to kick the cat off her perch to do it!!) and ran 2 miles in 21:30. Not the full 3, but enough to loosen up the legs and keep the streak going.

not much going on

today. Ran 3 miles this morning, in what felt like a sauna. Weather.com said it was 75 degrees, but it sure felt hotter than that. Might have had something to do with the stifling humidity. No matter, I got 3 miles done in 29:50. I forgot to turn off the pace alert on the Garmin, though, so I kept getting barked at for going faster than 10:15/mile. It was just a bit annoying, but at least I had an audible reminder that I'm getting faster.

Yesterday, in lieu of a 2-mile recovery run, I did 25 minutes on the Treadclimber at the gym over lunch. I kept it at a pretty slow speed, just because i knew if I went any faster I would very likely fall on my face. As it was I stepped on the wrong riser a couple of times. That was an interesting workout -- I'm sure I wouldn't want to do it every day, but I can see that it would have some benefits, especially as it felt like a lot of hill work. Pretty cool. Then I went back to the gym in the evening and did some light weight work (arms, squats, lunges with hand weights) and did a quick 10 minutes on the stairclimber thingy (not the stairmaster -- i loathe those -- the tall ones with the disappearing steps). Now that was a workout!

gotta run and drop the kiddoes off at Grandma's. Since Hub and I have tickets to the Police show tonight in Big D, we won't see them again until tomorrow afternoon. So I can run long in the morning wihtout having to worry about being back before Hub leaves for work. And wihtout having to worry about being sweaty when I go in to wake up the boys - they *hate* that!! Have a great Tuesday!!

7 miles

got up this morning, said hello to the kitty (she was *very* talkative and chatty this morning, after sleeping on my treadmill all night!!), then hit the roads for a little 7 mile run. I've hit all my runs on schedule this week, except for one 5-miler turned to a 4-miler, but that was OK. I set the pace alert on the Garmin to beep at me if I went under 10:15, so I would have to go at a true long-run pace. Otherwise, I find myself going out too fast and then dying in the end. That might be OK for a run under 10 miles, but if I don't get myself out of that habit now, then the longer runs later this summer will not be fun. So I finished strong and when I came in, everyone in the house was still asleep, including lazy bones kitty cat. It's nice to know that I'm missed so terribly when I'm gone!!

we've got tix to the Rangers tonight, so it will be a nice evening out at the game. we may also try to hit the neighborhood pool over at Grandma's this afternoon, so TDP DinoBoy can show off his moves from the last three weeks of swimming lessons. it's a nice lazy Sunday, in other words.

Good luck to those IMCDA folks -- I'll be watching as I can online throughout the day, and dreaming of the day (still a ways out, but not *that* faraway) that I'm out on the course.

here she is!!

Princess Summer Blossom. That is what happens when you let the youngest member of the family name the new pet. She's a medium-hair light tortoiseshell kitten, and every bit a spoiled rotten princess already. Very opinionated. Very demanding. But loving and sweet as the day is long.

Better pictures to come as soon as I can find the card reader.

Finally! outside running!

for all of two miles. And there were little tiny droplets of happiness from the sky, about halfway through. Made the 92% humidity nearly bearable. No, not really. Sigh.

I'd like to get a bike ride in this afternoon when the Elder Child and Hub leave for hockey, but I have a low tire and my pump either was completely abandoned at the Danskin transition or fell out of my bag during the mile-long walk back to the car. I wasn't at the top of my mental game at the time, so who knows. Who knows what I'll end up doing; probably I'll be at the hockey rink anyway.

have a great Friday! I've got a trip to the dentist on tap -- for the boys, not for me!

I've run every day

since last Tuesday. I haven't been able to run outside since Saturday morning. Bah! This morning, the storms really rolled through, with an amazing amount of rain hitting the windows well before the alarm(s) went off. Sigh. Five miles are on the docket for today, and I just couldn't bear the thought of *another* treadmill run, not so early in the morning. And the Elder Child and I went to the pool again last night (700 yards, then "floating" practice again...) so I was really worn out and just couldn't bear it.

I may make it up at the gym tonight -- TDP DinoBoy has discovered that he *loves* the play area there and they' keep it open until 9:30 for the summer, so it's another option. Maybe I won't hate an hour on the TM if I'm on the new big ones there. Doubt it. The alternative is switching with tomorrow's schedule and doing only 2 today, but I hate to start playing that game so early in. I tend to get into trouble with that when it gets to the longer runs, so I'd better just stick to the plan. Maybe it will cool down enough tonight and I can just run outside.... Right, sorry, I got carried away there for a minute. Ha!

Two more days until Kitty Adoption Day!!!

***Update***
Made it to the gym after 8:00 (had to see the Jim/Pam kiss again on the Office!) and pounded out 5 miles on the TM in about 53 minutes, give or take. Elder Child did 5 miles on the exercycle, then a mile on the TM before retreating to shoot baskets in the play area. TDP DinoBoy didn't want to come home and proceeded to have a fit when it was time to leave. Fun times. At least I won't be guilty when it comes to doing longer workouts at the gym, but they do have a 2-hour time limit!!

Wednesday run

I actually got out of bed. I got dressed. I grabbed the Garmin and the iPod and headed outside. Winds and lightning in the distance were the first things I saw. Phoo. Another storm.

So back inside. 4 miles on the treadmill, watching coverage of the green and red blobs on the early news. None of which actually ended up coming anywhere near our house. Bah. But I got 4 of the scheduled 5 miles done. I might pick up the last one at the gym before we hit the pool again tonight. Or not. Still building up the mileage to get ready for the fall training schedule -- I gave myself a little wiggle room this week and next. It would also help if I actually committed to a race. Sigh.

Gotta run -- TDP DinoBoy was being sleepy this morning and is still in bed. Gotta rouse him and feed him before I take him to Grandma's for the day.

zee bulleted random post

• 3 miles on the TM today after work, before picking up the bandidos; 32 minutes total
• Zere is no kitty-cat yet. We'll make a choice and bring her home on Saturday. The boys have been googling cat sites all week. Photos will surely be posted.
• Why won't my legs float? I'm trying TI drill #1 -- the hide-head float thing -- and my legs always sink. It's quite laughable, actually. Elder Child is amused and yet frustrated at me at the same time: "Mother, it's not hard, look. Just like this. See? OK you try. Nope, not even close... Sheesh."
• Don't really want to travel too far on 10/28 for a fall marathon -- it's birthday weekend for me & TDP DinoBoy and I don't want to be away from the fam both those days. So still looking for mid-October or early November. Or I'll do Waco again, but this time *really* focus on the hill training so I don't get slammed like I did last year.
• Where in DFW does one practice an open-water swim? Inquiring minds, zey want to know.
• Zat is all for now. Peez out!
  

It was a toss-up

between running a recovery 2-miler on the treadmill and going to the pet store to look over the adoption kitties. I was really torn, all morning, between the two.

I was too bone-tired this morning to rouse myself out of bed, and I *thought* I heard storms, so I knew running outside early was out of the equation. So I made a deal that I'd do it at lunch. No problem.

But then I started thinking about the kitties, the little kitties, the little homeless kitties just waiting for someone to bring them home and love them and hug them and call them George. We pretty much decided over the weekend that we would adopt another kitten -- we've been petless in our house for more than a year and we've been debating getting a new baby in the house. This picture in the paper pretty much sealed the deal -- we know we won't get her, but we know we'll find the perfect addition to our family. And I thought maybe I'd use my lunch hour to run up to the mobile adoption center and scope it out. But then I realized I'd very likely be bringing home someone and not giving the kids and Hub a chance to have a say in the selection process. So the TM won out. For now. We will likely not get to the adoption center until the weekend now, but we have a chance to get the house ready before then, so everything will be ready when we bring her home.

Peace out!

the rain, the rain!

it sucketh mightily. It drives me to the treadmill, which drives me to distraction.

63 minutes is an awful long time to be on a TM when you haven't been running regularly lately. When the longest run in two weeks is 4 miles. And when it's humid and hot inside and out. But I got it done. 6 miles, speeds between 5.5 and 7.0 (short little bursts toward the end -- the faster to get done with).

Happy Dad's Day, if it's appropriate to you. Hub is celebrating by playing pond hockey with the Elder Child. And driving around with his new Magellan GPS. We may never get lost again -- we'll have to find something new to argue about in the car!

more running!

and a bit on the bike, too. I took the PPE out for a spin around the school down the block. It was starting to get late, so I didn't want to get too far away from the house. I just played with the gears, experimenting with how each combination felt. After about 25 minutes of very easy riding, nothing too strenuous, I can't say I understand it any better after that than I did before. I think I just have to go for a ride with an experienced cyclist and have them walk me through it all. Very slowly. In very small words.

Then, I dumped her off at the house, grabbed the Garmin and the iPod and hit the streets for a quick jaunt around the neighborhood. Today is a recovery day, so I just really wanted to get a couple of miles in and get the running streak going again. What I have discovered in the last two months of focusing on the swim is that unless I run for at least half an hour five times a week, I cannot maintain my weight. I'm not even talking about losing weight, I'm talking MAINTAIN. So (as very plainly and sadly evidenced by the photos of me in the black-doesn't-help-hide-Jack swimsuit) I've put on the 5 pounds I lost when I changed jobs back in March. And while it seemed to come off in random places on my body, when it returned, it targeted my gut. Sigh. So, all that to say that I *need* to run. Even on "recovery" days.

So I ran for two miles today. At first I had that wobbly wha' happened? feeling in the legs, but quickly caught my breath and just settled into a nice groove. It helped that today wasn't as beastly hot as yesterday (and the day before, and the day before that), and the humidity is down even with the showers we had this afternoon. Imagine my surprise when I look down at the end of my driveway and see these:

Mile 1: 9:29
Mile 2: 9:17

As our good buddy John McClane is often heard to exclaim: "Yippee-ki-yay!"

3.5 miles

It's 75 degrees outside. With 77% humidity. Fun times in N.Texas, i tell you what. Sheesh. No matter. 3.5 miles. 34:45 total.

Splits: 10:28, 9:46, 9:40, 4:49 (9:35 pace)

I promise I'll get to more interesting posts soon enough. For now, like I said yesterday, I just need to get my running groove back. Peace out!

3 miles

I need to just run for a while. Maybe a week or so. It's hot out there, so it's not easy. And I've not done any appreciable running in a while. But for physical reasons and for my sanity, I need to run. Even if I'm not going to NYC this fall. I'll definitely do White Rock again, but I still need to figure out what else comes next.

ORN: 3 miles, 30:32 total. Splits were 10:29, 10:12 and 9:49.

phooey

No NYC for me this year:

Last Name	First Name	Entry Number	Accepted?	Age	City	Province	Country of Residency	Team
Cervantes	Corina	120947	NO	F38	Arlington		United States

Any other suggestions for an early fall marathon?

The Day in Photos

Be sure to click on the big "I" in the circle under the photos when the slide show starts to get the comments on each shot.

Danskin Slideshow

Many, many thanks to my wonderful husband for driving me down there faster than Danica Patrick to get to the expo on time, for putting up with my wailing about my missing chip, and for shepherding a cranky hot 6-year-old for four hours, all while catching the start and finish of each leg. And we're not even talking about the backing I get on a daily basis as I try to fit in the runs, rides and swims while juggling the schedules of the family. Or the inherent support in his very simple question as we drove back to DFW: "So, when is the next one?"

More later.

"The woman who starts the race

is not the same woman who finishes the race."

That's what my Danskin medal says. I finished. It was ugly. I almost didn't do it. There was a major freakout on the lake. Major. No, really, MAJOR. I'll tell you more about it later.

For now, we're back at the hotel, cleaning up and packing up. We have to be back in South A for my mother-in-law's birthday lunch at 4:00, so my time is no longer my own today. But I finished.

I learned a lot out there. And yes, the woman I am now *is* different than the woman I was five hours ago. Peace out, peoples. Just so you know, each of you who comes by here, whether you leave comments or not, whether I've ever met you in person or not, owns a piece of this medal around my neck today. Seriously. Thank you for being alongside me this whole time.

argh

so we're here checked into the hotel room. Nice suite, btw, which I was more than surprised by. I expected a regular room with a half-assed half-wall divider like I've had before, but this one actually has a separate living area, so we've got lots of space to move around.

But, getting here was nearly a disaster. We had tickets to the Star Wars exhibit at the Ft Worth museum this morning, bought by hub when he was unaware of the conflicting need to be in Austin by 3:00 for packet pick-up (Sidebar: Who closes the Expo at 3:00???). So we gambled and hit the museum for an hour before hitting the road. It was a great exhibit, and we're going back next weekend to take our time and really savor it, but we kind of rushed through. Then we had to drop off Elder Child at the in-laws -- his uncle bought him tickets to tonight's Rangers game, so he stayed behind. Normally I would have pushed for him to come with us anyway, but the tickets happen to be $105 PER seat, for the Cuervo Gold club, and I couldn't make him miss that special night with his uncle, nor could we justify letting those go to waste. So, instead of taking off from Fort Worth, we had to come back to South A, then veer south again.

No worries, the trip was fine. TDP Dino Boy was thrilled to have the back seat to himself, and ended up falling asleep about ten minutes before we were going to pit-stop, so we decided to barrel through and eat when we arrived. And then... Then.... traffic. Damn. Austin traffic sucks even more than Dallas traffic, and trust me, I know Dallas traffic. We were stuck like Chuck outside of Round Rock, at 2:15. About twenty seconds after I said, "Another couple of exits before ours -- we'll be there with time to spare," the movement on the freeway ground to a halt. Hideous. We moved about two miles in 30 minutes. If we hadn't dumped off, we might still be sitting in that mess. As it was, we hit the parking lot of the expo at 3:05. I ran in to grab my packet, shirt and swimcap, then barely had time to find the boys before I had to go rack the bike. I asked the girl at packet pickup about chips, and she told me it was in the packet. I felt a lump in there, so I took her at her word and went on to rack my bike.

We did have a moment to stop at a booth for a chiro adjustment - it's been months since I've been adjusted and I was *very* glad to have that done. It loosened me up really nicely for tomorrow, and it also reinforced that I've got to find someone closer to the house to set me up with regular appointments (both Hub and I had been going to a chiro in Dallas regularly, but I quit going when I changed jobs, since he was in North Dallas). But then, we went out to transition for the bike racking. On the way, Hub innocently asked, "so, how many bikes will they really have out there?"

Since we were so late, we arrived to a sea of racks and more than 3000 bicycles already laid out and ready to roll. Balloons were on nearly every rack, as people used all kinds of methods to mark their spots. Some folks covered their seats with plastic bags. After we hung up the PPE by her seat, Hub asked if I was going to lock it, not understanding the overnight security and the plethora of other bicycles that were much more appealing than mine. He doesnt' understand (yet) that there are bicycles out there with one wheel that costs more than my "upgrade" bike -- I saw a really nice Cervelo with zipp wheels and *had* to stop and drool for a while. It was a bit overwhelming, really. I'm kind of glad that I didn't have a lot of time to look around, because I would have gotten very, very nervous. All I can say is that with that sheer number of folks, I cannot possibly come in last (again).

Once we got racked up, we had to find some food. By now it was nearly 4:00 and none of us had anything to eat since breakfast at 8:00. I did sacrifice my go-lean bar to give TDP DinoBoy something to munch on while we were screeching toward the expo, trying to get there before they shut it down. So it was time for dinner.

On the way back into Austin, I started to look at the packet more closely, and realized that I didn't have my chip. The lump that I thought was the chp was actually the snap on the plastic strap. F#$! a duck. Damn. By then, it was too late to turn around and go back; they'd been ripping down the expo even before I left. So unless I can find somehow to get my chip in the morning, I will have to run the race chipless. Which sucks eighteen ways to Sunday. Which means I'll be technically listed as DNS. Which sucks. Argh.

While I was bemoaning this, Hub reminded me that my only goal tomorrow is to finish, and that I can do that with or without my chip. He said it actually removes some of the pressure. I can kind of buy that, but it's still going to mess with me in the morning to try to rectify it before the swim start. My wave is 11th out the gate, with a 7:38 start time, so I won't have a lot of time to futz with it. I'm completely bummed. But, whaddyagonnado?

I know what I'm going to do -- I'm going to toe the line, swim longer in open water than I ever have, spin for an hour (maybe less, doubt it with the hills around here) and then run it in. Chip or no chip, that wont' change my challenge or my resolve.

Oh, yeah, my swim cap? It's yellow, my favorite color. That's gotta count for something, right??
Peace out -- see you on the other side!

didja ever have one of those days?

where all you *really* wanted to do is go for a run?

I haven't had one of those in a while, but today is one of those days. It's 9:00 pm, and here's my first chance all day. So, see you tomorrow! I have a couple-three miles to pound out, just to get it out of my system.

Tomorrow, I'm hitting the pool early for about 500 yds, just to work on the stroke and breathing, and probably spend about 20 minutes treading water, just to reassure myself that I know how.

Later, gators!

LATER:
Holy f$ck! When did it get so freakin' hot? Dayum! I ran the exact same route Tuesday morning that I just finished. My splits then:
9:44
9:48
9:28
Yeah, I was rocking the 'hood that day. Of course, it was about 69 degrees out with a little bit of a breeze.

Tonight, same route, these are the splits:
10:00
10:07
10:31
WTF?? I had to slow down (but not walk, small victory) in that last lap since I was working so hard. Bleagh. Of course, it's 10:00 pm and still 87 degrees, but feels like hotter. Humidity is 66 percent. Argh. This is the hottest it's been so far this year, and I guess we should call ourselves lucky. With all the rain we've had it's been cooler than usual, and with all the time I've been spending in the water or in the gym, or in Colorado, I've not become acclimated at all. Sheesh.

And, you like how i"m not saying that this wouldn't have happened if I'd drag my a$$ out of bed in the morning? Yeah, that too. G'night -- I hear a very cold shower calling my name.

New Look

so I finally decided to change things up a bit. I've always HATED the generic blogger templates, but I lack the technical ability to do anything about it. But I found a little button on the header thing-y today that led me to believe I could add a picture to my header. And with a little MSPaint magic, VIOLA! a new header and a new look. Yes, I know the pix are pixellated -- that was unintentional and a side effect of how I had to transfer the images from my desktop to the laptop, but me kinda likey.

So there.

ORN -- Rest day Sunday and yesterday. Part of it is taper on the plan and part of it was recovery from Saturday morning. And hideous storms last night that made us want to huddle in the hallway instead of doing anyting productive. But for today, I'm planning to fix Elder Child's back tire today so we can go on a 30-minute ride after dinner. Maybe. If not, we'll hit the gym after we put TDP DinoBoy to bed.

Thanks!!! (and New Bike Choices)

First off, thanks so much to everyone for your comments and kudos. Seriously, while i was in the pool, trying to find my breath and fighting for some kind of rhythm, all that kept going on in my head was not "I'm going to drown," or "I can't do this," but instead, "when I get through this, I will be one of Them, a real tri-blogger." Y'all all kept me going. I never doubted that I would finish, because all y'all have been cheering me on the whole way through. And you made it OK to come in at the end, because Dead Last is so much better than Did Not Start, and you have been applauding me since I made my goals be known. The Internets is a wonderful thing!

Now, the fun part! I get a new bike. Exactly when depends on my quarterly bonus, but as soon as that comes in, I want to be ready to roll into the bike shop and put my pennies on the counter. So, below are links to my four choices -- all entry-level women-specific road bikes between $500 and $750. I've ridden last year's Giant model, and will test-ride a Trek this weekend after the race. I tried including photos,but Blogger was being uncooperative, so you'll have to click the links.

Specialized Dolce

Trek 1000

Giant OCR

Jamis Ventura Sport

Discuss.

** Note -- since pretty much anything is an upgrade from the PPE, I have only two requirements: 1) budget is pretty much under $800, but under $650 would be better, and 2) the bike has to be blue or yellow. Now, reason #2 is silly, superficial, and borderline unreasonable, but I want a yellow or blue bicycle. You'll find out why later. :)

See you on the other side

There were horrible storms last night that kept waking me up. Which was fine, since I had a horrible race nightmare to go with.

I had a dream that they couldn't find my registration and I had to go to the library to look it up online, but then there was no way that I could print it, and on the way back to the race, I got stuck in a Christmas parade. I ended up missing the whole thing. In the dream. In real life, I'm about to have my PB sandwich, hop in the shower and load up my crap.

With any luck at all, the next time I log in, I will be a triathlete.

Update:
I'm done. Finished in 1:54, by my watch. Swim took me more than 15 minutes -- for some reason, I just couldn't move in the deeper end (all of 5 1/2 feet!). Bike was done in under an hour, and the run took me 35:51 minutes for 3.35 miles.

I was *NOT* the last one across the line... there was a guy who had a blowout on the bike who came in after me, although I don't think his times count. I caught up to Andrea, a T-in-Ter who had leg cramps and was walking about mile 1.5 of the run, and we ran in together, although she ran ahead of me at the end.

That was the hardest thing I've ever done. And that's coming from a person with five 5:00+ hour marathons under her belt. And two pregnancies with 9+ pound babies. How lucky that I don't have to wait long to do it again!!