Free Stuff

Here's an additional picture from the folks at Delmarva.  Here's me and Chris after I got the free Oxbox carbon fiber paddle.  It was great to hang out with Janis to hear all about the fun stuff Delmarva is doing to promote SUP-ing in the area.

All I can say is that  it pays to be friendly and get to know folks in the community.  It helped me meet some really wonderful people this summer, learn some cool stuff, have some wonderful adventures and get some free stuff.  Score!

Brick-a-mania

[The bike route]

At 4:30 am I was rolling out of bed and grabbing my gear for the BIG BRICK-A-MANIA.  YAY?!

I was interested in testing myself, but also scared by the distance.  Luckily all this was made easier because there was a 6-person crew attacking this workout.

THE BIKE

We headed out at 5:30 am.  Our route was --- starting in Fenwick Island, rolled through Bethany Beach, through Dewey, through Rehoboth Beach, past the Cape May Ferry and ended at the tip of the Cape Henlopen Park.  After circling back and adding miles inland in North Bethany we ended up riding 62.4 miles!!!

Surprisingly the ride was not as hard as I thought it would be.  Though my feet did fall asleep a few times, the time in the saddle was really not that bad, I felt strong --- especially on the hills and I definitely was holding back a bit since I knew that we still had the run afterwards.  Damn running.

[Post ride and in advance of getting my new cleats]

 The only bummer was that my cleats had worn almost completely down to nothing and I had to spend the majority of the ride worried about getting stuck in my peddles.  Check it out.  Luckily, the guys at Fenwick Islander Cycles were able to replace my cleats later that day and I am all set

THE RUN

By the time it was time for our run it was SO HOT --- full sun, limited breeze and some humidity.  Great.  We ended up running from King Street to the fence for a total of four miles.  By mile 2.5 I was so ready to stop.  I was hot, getting dehydrated and just ready to be done...which is wacko because my head was what wanted to stop.  I could still keep putting one foot in front of another...granted it was slow.

Luckily at mile 2.5 we grabbed a hose and soaked ourselves down.  What a wonderful temporary relief.

At mile 3.5 I was cooked and just couldn't keep the pace up.  In the alternate, me and another runner did intervals for the next half mile so that we could keep moving, loosen up our legs, but also get some relief.

The good news is that I DID THIS and I am on track to be a Biking Destroyer.

Biking Destroyer

It's a total exaggeration, but with my new aerobars I really feel like a biking monster living in the big ring.

Yesterday was the first time I rode with them. I hooked up with the Fenwick chicas for an interval ride along Coastal Hwy.

After warming up we set our minds and legs to ride 3 minutes at 90-95%, take a 45 second break and then repeat. Our goal was eight sets with a 10 minute ride at 60-75% between sets 4 and 5.

After the sets and then riding back home (remember that I commute by bike to the hook-up spot) my legs were burning!

I was at first a little unstable in the aero position, but pretty quickly was able to really power through the speed sets. My max speed was just shy of 25 mph --- 24.8 mph to be precise. I want that 25.

Watch out 25 mph...passing on your left!!!!!

It's all about accessories

Today I decided to skip bootcamp and the 60 min morning run. I was too spent from the prior day's activities and for whatever reason my right shoulder was hurting pretty fierce.

Once I realized it was a muggy and hazy day with highs in the 90's I decided today was errand day and put off running until the sun went down. I accomplished lots of fun stuff I've been meaning to do --- washing the truck, picking up a pair of board shorts and buying some new towels. Fun stuff.

The real fun came when I headed over to Continental Cycles by Ocean Pines to have my donated aerobars put on. Unfortunately they didn't fit. Rats! I needed a larger pair to fit around my handlebars.
I ended up buying a new pair and as luck would have it the bike dude shifted my ride toward the front of the line and I was able to head out later that day with my bike. Bonus!

Bike dude was enamored with my bike and made the executive decision that I needed my bike sooner than the other folks --- and my fix was a heck of a lot faster.

When I got home I decided the Cannondale needed to freshen up and after 45-minutes he was all clean and ready for his next adventure.

The results are in...

and my 5k was clearly a mess.

31:05.01 ---- that's a 10:18 minute pace.

Man...that is pretty horrific. Placed right in the middle --- 252 out of 400 and something runners.

I actually blame nrot wearing my Garmin. I have a horrible sense for my pace and the Garmin is the only way I can keep, or attempt to keep, myself on track.

Oh well, there's always next time.

Hello Hot Pink Fabulousness

Is it wrong that I really want a pair of Newton running shoes just because they look cute? Forget what their purpose is and if they are even geared to someone with my running --- dare I say style. I am willing to venture that "style" can be interpreted in different ways --- maybe performance and cuteness.

I keep seeing them --- in magazines, on websites, on blogs and now in stores. Grrrr.

Must not buy unnecessary things.

Must not buy unnecessary things.

Must not buy unnecessary things.

Unless...are they necessary?

Definitely not...definitely not.

I hate my new running shoes

That's right. My brand new, cool looking running shoes are actually duds. Runner's World may have flagged them as cool new shoes for the season, but this runner isn't impressed.

Though they felt supportive and cushion-y in the store, on a run and standing around there is an odd extra support in the inner arch that feels freaky.

During yesterday's Tuesday loop and tonight's track practice my shoes made me feel a bit clumsy and heavy too.

Oh well. Live and learn. DON'T CHANGE WHAT AIN'T BROKE.

I already reserved a pair of Brooks...and will pick them up tomorrow.

Snazzy New Goggles

Who knew there were so many options of goggles for every scenario.

I have been using my regular-old Speedo mini-goggles for my pool workouts.

After doing some reading and talking to the guys from Bonzi, I decided to try out a pair of goggles with bigger lens and with a bit of a tint.

 I bought a pair of the Aqua Sphere Kayenne goggles and used them for the Reston swim clinic and 1-mile swim this past weekend.  I loved them!  There was very good suction without having to wear them very tight.  The larger lens provided a better field of vision...and bonus...they didn't fog up.

Overall, good purchase.

It's all about the bike

After today's transition clinic, I headed over to the Georgetown Bike Shop and had them look over my bike and picked up a few things.

Somehow I walked in at a quiet time --- very unusual for a sunny Saturday afternoon.

They did a little tune up and checked my set-up. I of course picked up a few things --- including a tire changing kit, an extra water bottle, a bento box for my top tube and tri shoes.

I biked back to my car and decided to head back to my home trails vs fighting the crowds in DC.

As always, my trails are open and quiet. I headed out for a two hour ride and ended up connecting through three different trails.

All in all, a very productive day.

I'm a super hero or something like that

Last night I FINALLY got around to trying on my wet suit for the big swim. I bought it a month ago and realized that I hadn't even taken it out of the box.

Luckily a set of detailed instructions were included. Don't be fooled...it's not like throwing on a dress.  As I inched my leg into the suit I prayed that I had selected the correct size. Inch by inch I wormed my way into the suit as instructed.

I didn't realize that the suit would be so delicate and could easily tear if you pulled with too much force.
Within a few minutes I had the suit on and was zipped up. Surprisingly it didn't look as horrific as I had imagined.

Should I admit that I was going to fill my bathtub with water and get in just so that I knew how the suit would feel wet? Better not...because that would be just weird.

The suit is hanging in my closet waiting for it's first splash-down.  I've gotta say, I don't think I ever thought I'd have a wet suit hanging in my closet.

Road ID

Man...this photo is pretty shitty!.  Anyway, I got my new RoadID in the mail. I have one for my shoe that I got when I started training for the Army 10-miler last year.

Now that I'm biking I need another one since dragging around my license is a big pain in the pass and my shoeID doesn't fit on any of my biking stuff.  Since I'm usually out alone biking or in new surroundings it gives me peace of mind that I have something on me with emergency contact info.

Just like my recent CPR and first aid training --- I have to never need to use my RoadID.

Who doesn't love gear?!

I was able to pick up my bike tonight! Yay!!! It's so pretty. I brought it in the house and set it up in the guest room. She was too nice to be stuffed in a garage or basement.

Of course my bike needed a few friends for the ride home --- some socks, a shirt, shorts and of course...SHOES.

Now...I just need to practice clipping and unclipping.

Snazzy Gadget

I've now completely embraced the gadget age. I got a Garmin. I've been eyeing one for quite some time now, but just couldn't get over the hundreds of dollars these gizmos cost.

As luck would have it, I received a gift card for Christmas and I used it to get my Garmin. Yay!  It's no surprise that everyone seemed to get a Garmin for Christmas.  You should have seen us all out on our run playing with our gadgets and talking like total nerds.  If there is a way to turn any sport a bit nerdy...I seem to embrace it.

After much research, I decided on the 305 version. It's a generation behind the fancier and smaller new 405 version, but the reviews I've seen all noted that the 305 is the better device. The two main differences are: (1) the 305 is a bit bigger and (2) it doesn't wireless synch your data when you come in from a training run. The fact that it was 200 bucks cheaper was another deciding factor.  I really was eyeing the version that is waterproof to 50 meters but it was SO much more.  I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money on a gizmo.

Unfortunately, I messed up the settings the first time I tried it out and it never properly acquired satellites which meant that my Garmin was like a lost puppy on my Saturday long run. I was so bummed.  Luckily I had an army of Garmin-wearing runners who were able to tell me all my stats once we wrapped up our run.

I tested it out today with the heat rate monitor. OMG...it I so cool. I downloaded my info when I came in and it tracked my: (1) calories burned, (2) distance, (3) time, (4) pace, (5) elevation, (6) showed a line graph comparing the elevation and my heart rate and (7) it linked to Google Earth to show my exact route.

Wicked cool. I'll have to play around with it a bit more. For now...I feel pretty snazzy with my cool new gadget on my wrist. 

New kicks

 I finally picked up a new pair of running shoes.  You are supposed to swap out for a new pair every 250-300 miles and I could feel my feet begging me for a new pair.  Luckily I get a discount at the running store so the sticker shock was not as bad as it could be.

No big change for me.  I'm sticking with what works --- my Brooks Trance 9's.  I LOVE them. 

My new shoes are so clean and spiffy.  You know...now I don't want to get them dirty.

RoadID

After this week's news about the jogger who was struck by a metro bus while crossing the street (see http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1754511&nid=25), I am more convinced that it was a great idea to buy a sneaker RoadID.

I heard about RoadID from a friend.  Boy, what a great idea.  It's better than dragging along your driver's license and better than going without identification.

If you are not familiar with the product, see http://www.roadid.com/common/default.aspx.

For $20 it is so worth it.

The Stick

I am so tired today. A combination of the running schedule, commuting time to and from practice and work stuff is really catching up with me!

I'll have to chug a Diet Dr. Pepper this morning to pep up.

Separately, the coolest gadget I've picked up is "The Stick." See http://www.thestick.com/. I love it!!!! Who knew that something so basic looking could be so helpful.

The Stick is a device that you roll over your muscles to help stretch them out without the need to expend any extra energy and allowing you to warm up your muscles in a safer way. I LOVE mine.