tri report

The triathlon is done! It was easier and harder than expected (easier in the swim, harder in the bike and run), I was faster than I thought (in the run), and I actually felt better physically after the tri than I did after either of my two (last years) running races.

Also, I came out close to the top quarter of all racers, combining all times and my transition times. I mean, I'll take that! This wasn't near as bad as I thought I would be.

Of course my slowest time was in the swim event. Nonetheless, the wetsuit helped enormously. I didn't get super tired, although I did find myself swimming the long way round, because I kept forgetting to sight. It was darkish and foggy too. I was looking at minnows and fronds for a while, then i realized that all the flailing human bodies were headed a different way. Ah me. At any rate, it was over soon enough and I rose out of the water like the swamp thang, peeled off my neoprene carapace and donned biker chic.

At first I was elated to get out of the water and onto my bike, where I really do feel most at home. I started to fly...WHEEEEEE!!! I started to feel like I was just going to kick ASS. WHEEEEEE! ...
and then WHEEEEE gradually turned to "f**k. F**K. HOLY F**KING SH*T!" There were hills. LOTS of hills. Hills throughout the WHOLE course. And these were steepish hills. LONG hills. Short stocky fat hills that came one after another in an annoying steplike fashion. Hills with smaller hills on their peaks like massive pimples on a nose. I could not believe it. Later, I looked at the website, which actually described the course as "challenging". Why, thank you. I was not expecting challenging for this baby tri. Nonetheless. I persevered. However, I forgot that I was to hold back some mojo for the run. Also, my race number flew off my bike at one point, and I, like a stupid dummy, went back to get it. As I picked it up, someone whipped past me saying "oh you don't need that..." haha. But I am so damned anal that i held onto it for the rest of the ride. My pace was average of 16mph overall. This is no tour de france-type pace, but, hey, for me, on hills, it was ok.

Then, I had a surprisingly good pace on the running portion (8:18 min mile, which is also no elite pace, but is a good pace for me). This was amazing, because i was trying to run slow, just so that i wouldn't have to give up and walk, because, as already stated, I had sorta blown my wad on the bicycle portion. Running after biking did not feel good, despite the fact that in the gym, it often does. But then, in the gym, my bike training is usually pretty half assed, and the treadmill soft and forgiving... Here, my legs felt like they were slamming the pavement hard with every step. I tried to consciously make my footfall softer, but it wasn't easy... Additionally, at the beginning, someone handed me a packet of sports beans which i clutched the entire time, wanting to eat them, but not really knowing how to do it in a non-spastic manner. Thus, i did both the bike and run holding on to unnecessary objects. I suppose that is good training for wartime or something. I dunno.

I did my transitions in a leisurely and calm fashion. Since I used to perform in some rather prop-heavy shows, I am good at setting up my props and keeping that part of things together. I did not feel like rushing, especially since I was more interested in my separate times for each event than my overall time. Nonetheless, in looking at my stats, it would behoove me to shave a bit off those times...I mean, I could have had a light luncheon in the time it took to get from swimming to biking...

I've decided i am a fan of the triathlon. It has something for everyone. Enough physical punishment for the masochist, enough gear for the gear head, enough planning and lists and setting up for the obsessive compulsive, enough exercise for the fitness minded, enough of a "pack" for the social, and enough autonomy for us loners (after they call your swim wave, you are really on your own for the rest of the race, you basically make up your own schedule...)

I spose I'll have to get that swim time up, tho. If my swim percentile had matched my bike and run percentiles, I'd have done a lot better stat wise. Ah well. Maybe I'll just buy a better wetsuit...

Honey in da house

Well, the hon-ster had her surgery, and has recovered nicely. We had some awful bout with pain meds, which resulted in probably way more stress for yours truly, the inept yet glumly determined caretaker, than for the resilient 4 pound entity known (reluctantly) as Honey. But now, things are happier, and this morning 12 pound Pink was appropriately chased up and down the hall, after attempting to steal food from the feisty surgery patient.

Her prognosis still isn't great, but we're exploring some homeopathic remedies, cause we're not sure chemo is the best option for her at this point. We'll see.

For now, she's having a good time. Which is, of course, as it should be.

eats, poos and stays

I may be overdoing it a bit. In my continuing quest to convince myself of my health and invincibility, I am working full time, training for a triathlon (and actually training as though I were a healthy person), and , in a move worthy of florence catingale, have taken over the care and feeding of yet another cat, but this one has....good god dare I say it...breast cancer.

Yep. a rescuer that i work with found poor little Honey (i didn't name her, guys, lay off), in really bad shape in a courtyard. Although she is an adult cat, she weighed about 4 lbs, had thyroid counts off the charts, and a large, ulcerated mass on her chest. That was 3 weeks ago. Now, she lives in my former home office room, where she occupies a now soft t-shirt covered desk newly devoid of computers, eats like a princess, takes thyroid meds, and runs around chasing my other cats who treat her like an interesting yet frustrating oddity (does she like us or doesn't she? will she play or won't she? is she serious when she hisses or isn't she?)

And, tomorrow she goes for her mastectomy. Yes, cats get them too.

The rescuer and I are told we are crazy for doing this, b/c her prognosis is not great no matter what we do. But, my god. the little cat is so full of life. Even at her lowest point she'd get up on you and demand petting. She apparently was catching mice even as her counts were skyrocketing, and her tumor was growing. So, she wants a chance. And, she'll get it.

Well, I have to confess, the only reason I went to law school was to be a good provider for cats. So, she gets her chance.

Like I have mine.

tell me something I don't know

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

my goodness

i have fallen into the realm of the unblogged. i am not immortalizing my every twitch and fart these days. the blogosphere weeps...

the names of cats. saturday cat blog

Abigail = abby, abner, abnerilla, fanxnorilla, rilla, riller, riller van rillerstein, rillette, rilly, marilla maroo, roo, mrooo, abster, abnoid, ner, abnoria, abnorium.


Pink = pinkster, potato head, mr. potato, pinky-winky, pink the wink, pink van winkelstein, winkster, baxter, opus pinkoid, opus pinkorium, magnum opoid, opoid, batata, batista,


Lou = loooooooooooo, looper, loupoid, lupus, louf. (she hasn't been en famille long enuff to have alot of nicknames. and she won't hold still long enuff)

barbaro

I was sad to find out that Barbaro was euthanized yesterday. I've been pulling for him all along. He and I had surgery on the same day last May y'know. It's just sad. I guess I really really wanted a happy ending.

But, keep in mind, folks, there are lots of other animals, horses, cats, dogs, cows, pigs, mice, birds, iguanas, etc, that don't get anywhere near the care and attention Barbaro got, and die sad little deaths all the time, on the side of the road, in a factory farm, in the vet's office, in backyards, in vacant lots, in forests, in fields. I'm mourning them too, today. Sometimes it's the way of nature, but, a lot of it, a fairly prodigious amount of it, is human-caused suffering. We need to open our eyes to it...even when it's not Barbaro that dies...

I know I know. I majorly did NOT rise to the challenge of posting every day. I mean, it's really all I can do to keep up with my life. So, let's all move on shall we?

On the job front, I am DETERMINED to catch up, because I am tired of sneaking in (late) taking and hour and a half in the middle of each day to go to the gym, and leaving (earlyish) and feeling guilty about it. I mean I won't stop doing those things of course, but i do not wish to feel guilty any more. Ergo, I guess I'll just catch up. Appropos of that, I have designated this week "Type A" week, in which I impersonate someone effective who gives a shit about her job. To that end, I worked on Sunday, stayed late last night, stayed late-ish tonight, and only checked my email 85 times today. I did still go to the gym of course. As I've said before, I'm addicted. I love my gym. until i get my bike, the gym it is. I project that i will catch up in the next couple weeks and then I can go back to slack.

On the physical front (what front? I have no more real front), I feel pretty good. In 2 weeks I get my expanders out and the implants (saline) in. that will be a welcome change, as I've had these damned hockey pucks sitting on my chest way too long. And it's not like, because they are hockey pucks, they are impervious to pain. OH no. I am reminded every time I bathe that i am still made of flesh and blood, sadly enough. I also try not to look at myself naked more than once per week, which is easily enough accomplished, I just make sure to fog up the mirror inthe bathroom when I shower, and that's the only mirror in the house. No wonder I sometimes show up to work wearing two different socks and with my fly undone.


Cancer has definitely killed one of the seven deadlies... that one being vanity. But i make up for it in gluttony and sloth...I won't talk about lust, lest i get another joyous comment from my evangelical constituents....