TOMORROW!!

High of 63 degrees tomorrow, do you know what that means? Instead of my stuffy indoor spin class I get to take Starla out riding for our first real ride. I'm going to drive her over to the raccoon river valley trail - 56 miles straight of trail! I'm not sure how far we will go but I'm anxious to see.

Yesterday I ran 4 and a half miles in the morning outside which was WONDERFUL it took me 50 minutes though, Yikes! So I need to work on getting quicker and running. Running outside is so much different than the treadmill.

The following are a couple books I want to eventually read. Especially the "Into Thick Air" Book about Jim Malusa riding to the lowest points of 6 continents. I hope I can get it soon!

No more excuses!

After that last post of whining, I got my bike! I completely forgot about tax refunds! WOOT! So I am now a proud owner of a beautiful baby Cannondale Synapse Alloy 6 in black. Her name is Starla, and she is my new love. I also got her two new waterbottle clips and nice shimano 105 pedals. She is set and ready to ride!

This means I have no reason to put off training. I need to swim, I need to run, and I need to ride. I've put more money into this than anything else I have ever done, so it is time to get up and go, no excuses and no regrets.  

Song of the day - Smashing Pumpkins - Starla

"Serve yourself No one else can do for you like you
And no one else fails like me
In my eyes I burn alive
Fly like a bird
No more words just you and I
High in the sky" 

It's a beautiful day

This is the problem with beginning training in Iowa! Yes, there is a negative sign before that nine. Who wants to swim in that? Not me. I went to spin class instead.

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Can't afford to even Tri...

This is going to be one of those whining sob blogs... Feel free to not proceed, fair warning!

I LOVE love LOVE my triathlon training. I mean it! I love it! However, having quit my job to be a stay at home mom has left us more than lacking in the funds department of life and the world of triathlons is not cheap. I need a bike, it is a necessity. I have a total of $0 to spend on a bike. We decided to use my bike savings to pay off a credit we took out last year that had 18 months of no interest on it, since we cant afford to have that interest tacked onto our bill. UGH BILLS I HATE YOU!

So, do I keep training? or do I find something less pricey? The biking is what I love the most, I would consider just biking if I needed to choose just one aspect of all this. I guess that's what kills me.

This has gotten me down, more than I have ever been down in the past. I want this. I really really want this, but I need to figure out a way to pay for it.  I know I wont put my heart and soul into my training again until I know it is even tangible to complete this race with equipment that I can safely use training with the little one in tow over the summer. I'm definitely looking for something second hand but  I cant just get whatever is cheapest.

Please... I need to find a way. Do they offer Triathlon Scholarships? Maybe I should just sell a kidney, people pay money for that right?

But wait... there's more

I don't have much to write about in regards to my workout this morning. The pool was really warm again (dislike) but I managed to get 400 M done which for me is an accomplishment. I followed by a 2.5 mile run / walk and felt good and could have gone farther if I had more time but needed to get home to little one since she woke up early and Daddy was tired from working last night. I'm just glad I no longer have the urge to yell things like Ack! Sweat drops Sweat drops! Reminiscent of Andy Samberg playing "Cathy" on SNL.  I am finally getting more comfortable with everything here.

On another note, she was there again... in the locker room. The chronically obese woman who refuses to wear or cover anything. I have been trying to think of what I should name her for these posts and will take any suggestions, since chronically obese woman would be abbreviated to something that would not be very nice to call her.

Lets go over her top 10 wins and fails of the day

1. She showers daily at the gym saving her some steep hot water bills at home ... win
2. She never brings a towel ... fail
3. She uses the paper towels provided thus saving $$$ on those costly towels ... win
4. Her frugality of not spending money on towels leaves her with no way to cover herself up... fail
5. She uses the gyms soap dispensers instead of bringing her own ...  (frugal) win
6. She chooses the only shower that is out of soap forcing her to "run" back and forth to get soap from the sink... fail
7. She uses soap... win
8. She constantly sits on the locker room benches naked... ugh Fail
9. She is a creature of habit and consistently sits in the same spot of the same bench, Thus allowing me to avoid that bench like the latest lady gaga... win
10. I wonder if she just comes to the gym to shower since I have yet to see her actually working out... fail

A few more days of this and she may have a present of a large towel and bathrobe wrapped nicely, sitting right on her spot of the locker room bench

I know, I know

I know that the only thing worse than not posting for a long time is posting about not posting. I know that! Things have been so busy but I have been training every day! The new years resolutioners have started to die down at the gym and I was able to get a bike both Tuesday and today for spin class. Monday I swam and ran and Wednesday was my beloved body pump class.

Today was the first day that my husband looked me in the eye and said he was proud of me. Today was a good day.

----

Now is my time to vent...

Lets talk a little bit about locker room etiquette. Last Friday and this Monday I went to the pool to swim which I always follow by a run / walk on the treadmill. I would like to start by saying that I have nothing but the up most respect for larger people at the gym. It's wonderful that they are there working on themselves and making a change! That being said I am not ok with the 400lb woman who chooses to shower, dry off with the paper hand towels and then continue to walk around completely naked, finally sitting down naked on the bench during the time between my swim and run. Its one of those things where I try and try not to look and avoid my peripheral vision but twice now she continues to walk around while naked before getting dressed. I guess anyone who would do that would bother me, the fact that she is morbidly obese should not matter, but still... There are things like bathrobes.

That is my rant


So todays work out was a tough 45 min spin class
weight 35.6

Song of the day - Stand by Blues Traveler

I was frightened, somewhat enlightened - So I changed shoes

I woke up this morning after a very restless sleep. The husband said I was talking last night, something I have never really done before and something that usually creeps me out a little bit. The context of my night time babbling included being concerned that my mother-in-law would find out about a fish getting into my shoe that little one found. I have no clue what exactly was going on but of course I blame it on how much my body aches today. The body pump class I took the other day really played a number on my arms. In fact I think if I keep going to it I will lose weight just from the shear inability to lift food or drink to my mouth. 

Thank goodness yesterday was my first scheduled day of rest because just getting out of bed at all was difficult. We also took a unexpected trip to pick up a mountain bike for my dear husband. Of course after looking and looking and saving for a road bike to use for the triathlon we find a mountain bike for him, but this was one of those offers you cant refuse. He says he plans to ride it to work every day even in the winter as long as it isn't icy. I cant deny him that. 

He purchased a 2003 Cannondale Jekyll 400 

It was in near perfect condition for $300 and he loves it. 

-----

How is my training going? It is interesting to say the least. I'm not an athletic person so everything is new to me, but the most difficult by far is the swimming. My swimming experience this morning went much better than the last. 

#1. The pool was not "closed"

#2. The water did not chemically burn my skin and throat

#3. All jewelry was removed before hand and therefore not ruined

#4. The pool did not feel like a hot tub

The only down side this morning was driving on an icy interstate and dropping and breaking my waterbottle in the parking lot, which is still a huge improvement from my last experience. 

01/07/11

Weight - 137.0

100m swim and 20 minute walk

Song of the day - O.A.R. City on Down