Triathlon, Take 2

Yesterday, I ran my second triathlon, the Tri for Fun at Rancho Seco Park in Herald, CA. This was originally meant to be my first race, before I decided to do Napa last month. And a lovely race it turned out to be. Although first I had to get over this:

Why, yes, those ARE the cooling towers for a nuclear power plant. Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station, to be exact. It's actually decommissioned, and has been since 1989, but there's still something more than a little surreal about swimming in the shadow of those towers. In fact, the lake we swam in was actually built (or expanded from a small pond) to act as an emergency water source for the plant, should there ever be a fire. On my way out to the first turn buoy in the swim, I was actually sighting off the towers. So if I have 3-eyed babies someday, y'all know why!

(This and all the other photos included in this post were taken by Ken Emanuel, who played personal photographer to me for this race. He rocks, huh?)

This race was another "sprint" distance triathlon, which is basically anything under "Olympic" distance (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, 10K run). In this case, that meant a half mile swim, 16 mile bike, 3.1 mile run.

I was very, very nervous about the swim. I am still a relative beginner as a swimmer, having only learned freestyle in October, and the swim was mentally brutal during the last race I did -- so cold and crowded and adrenaline-soaked that I completely panicked and nearly got bailed out by the rescue kayakers. This one, by comparison, was a breeze. For starters, the water was so much warmer. Warm enough, even, that my friend Emily and I posed for pictures in the water before the race:

There were plenty of people without wetsuits, but I wore mine, since that's how I'd been training (and it's a nice security blanket to know that your wetsuit will keep you floating even if you completely freak during the swim). Anyway, I felt strong right from the start (I think I'm somewhere in this picture!):

I felt strong in the middle:

And I finished strong, too:

took 5 minutes off my swim time from the last time around, coming in at 23 minutes. I'm certainly not going to be winning any swim races anytime soon with that time, but it's not far off what I would do in the pool, so I'll take it!

Next was the bike. 16 miles, gently rolling hills through farm country. Please notice that I am riding a beastie of a hybrid bike. It weighs an absolute TON. Clearly it wore me out, since in both of the pictures Ken took of me coming in from the bike ride, my mouth is wide open as I gasp for air :-)

And finally, the run. Heading out, and feeling great! (Especially when I saw Ken, cheering and taking pictures!)

Look at the spring in my step here:

This is actually kind of bad running form, so don't tell my coach, okay? I'm supposed to be working on NOT being so springy when I run! Anyway, this was about 20 seconds in, when I was still really psyched to be on the run. In reality, though the run ended up being the hardest part of this race (unusual for me, as a life-long soccer player). It was HOT by the time I got out on the run, which followed a red dirt road out into the hills for 3.1 miles. I was pretty much dying the whole time. Even had to walk up a couple of the bigger hills, which frustrated me.

I was SO happy when I saw that finish line, I totally sprinted to the end.

And I finished! Again! I guess this means the first time wasn't just a fluke, huh? I'm a real, live triathlete. Go me! (BTW, my actually time was closer to 2 hours, since I started the swim in the 5th wave, so the clock had already been running for 20-25 minutes).

Anyway, in closing, this little girl's sign is awesome. And true, true, true. This triathlon thing has definitely not been easy, but I'm so, so, so glad I jumped in and decided to do it.

Daily Dose of Gratitude #71: Trinity National Forest Edition

1. Whiskeytown Lake. Just as gorgeous as Lake Tahoe, and with the added bonus of no casinos, cheesy motels, or massive vacation homes on its shores. How have I never been there before?

2. The perfect campsite: secluded, right on a gorgeous river so you can fall asleep to the sound of water rushing by, the scent of pine trees and clover.

3. And while I'm at it, the most comfortable camp bed I've ever slept in. (Don't tell anyone, but I maybe dragged my down comforter and my feather pillow out to the woods with me. And I didn't regret it for a minute, either!)

4. Washing off the sweat and grime with icy dips in a river flowing with water that was literally snow less than 24 hours ago.

5. Seeing neither hide nor hair of whatever left this beastie of a footprint a little up the river from our campsite. (It's hard to see scale in this picture, but the print was bigger than the palm of my hand. Don't worry, though, Mom, I'm pretty sure it's coyote, not mountain lion -- you can't see the claws in a mountain lion footprint. Well, unless they're really, really angry ;-)

Daily Dose of Gratitude #70

1. Making someone's day.

2. Drinks with an old friend, with whom you've recently reconnected, and discovering you still laugh together just as much as you used to.

3. Wildflowers in a vase by the window.

4. A man who can fix things

5. The thrill of anticipation before a much-needed weekend away.

Daily Dose of Gratitude #69

1. A sprig of fresh mint in my water bottle. Yum!

2. A beautiful after-work bike ride yesterday -- sunshine, eucalyptus-scented air, and Tiburon's bazillion dollar views, all for the price of some muscle power and sweat.

3. Beating the top team in the league at soccer last night. (Really, really nice after a full season of getting our asses kicked on my other team!)

4. The fact that on my running route, I see the following fruit trees/vines: fig, apple, orange, strawberry, lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, buddha's hand, banana (!), guava, plum, avocado, blackberry, grape, apricot, passion fruit, persimmon, blueberry, and pomegranate. Basically, I live in paradise, except with more traffic. :-)

5. Josh Ritter's new album, So Runs the World Away. You must, must, must go listen to it immediately because it is utterly awesome. Especially the song "Long Shadows"

Daily Dose of Gratitude #68: Morcom Rose Garden edition

One of my favorite things about moving to a new neighborhood is discovering its secrets. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a beautiful rose garden in my neighborhood. It's nestled down in a ravine, hidden among houses and condos, and you never even know it's there until you're right on top of it.

Tonight, I finally made it back there with my camera, and I am grateful for roses. Lots and lots of roses. (And yes, it does smell like heaven there, too!)

Bonus points to anyone who can tell me why my images look so faded on blogger compared to how they look in iphoto.

Daily Dose of Gratitude #67

1. Strong legs, strong lungs, and a strong heart.

2. Finally having reached the point where running 6+ miles isn't really that big of a deal. I'm not gasping for breath, my calves aren't painfully tight, and I can mostly just GO. (Now if only I could figure out how to prevent the hot spots and blisters!)

3. Grilled chicken with home-made Tzatziki sauce and quinoa for dinner. Yum!

4. Lake Merritt. This is where I've been doing my runs lately. Gorgeous. It's about a 1.5 mile run from my house, then exactly 5K (3.1 miles or so) around the lake, and another 1.5 miles home. Great after work loop. If I'm only up for a short run, I drive or ride my bike over there and just do the around-the-lake part.

5. The pride I still feel when I look at my race number from last weekend pinned on my bulletin board. :-)

Holy cow, I just did a TRIATHLON!!!

Y'all! I just did a triathlon. I'm still a little in shock. But there's totally photographic evidence. See:

That's ME. With a race number pinned on my shirt and a medal around my neck! Did I mention that I still can't quite believe I actually did it?

I've actually been training for a couple months now, but just never got around to writing about it. I have to say, this is something I never, ever thought I'd do. I've always loved soccer and hiking and being active, but racing? Not really my thing. I didn't even learn to swim for real until the past October, and I think I took driver's ed and learned to ride a bike right around the same time!

Anyway, I actually started training on a whim -- couldn't find a gym I really liked in my new neighborhood, was tired of sitting on the sidelines at my ex's triathlons (I'm not really a sit-on-the-sidelines kinda girl, in case you haven't noticed), and happened to stumble across this 13-week triathlon training program being offered by a local running store, See Jane Run. We have three team workouts a week -- a pool workout, a track workout, and a long workout on the weekend (bike rides, open-water swim, longer runs, or some combo). It's been SO, SO, SO motivating to have set workouts -- I push myself so much harder when I'm with a group than I ever could on my own -- it's part of what I've always loved about playing soccer.

Anyway, we're actually only in week 8 of training now, but my awesome workout partner, Emily, convinced me that I was ready for a race now, and she was totally right. Today, I swam a half mile in open water, rode 11 hilly miles, and then ran a hilly 5K. All in a ROW! And ohmygosh was it HARD. I mean, physically, it was challenging, but mentally, it went well beyond challenging. Have you ever tried to swim a half a mile in 60 degree water, with other swimmers flailing all around you? It literally takes your breath away. I had a few bad minutes early in the swim, in which I had to talk myself out of a panic attack a quarter mile from shore (it didn't help that they mis-set the course so that the swim was longer than it was supposed to be -- SERIOUSLY???). But I toughed it out and made it through the swim, the bike, and the run. And, look, I only bled just a little! ;-)

(Bike mishap -- chain slipped off the gears midway up a hill, I wiped out -- oops).

Anyway, now that I've done my first race, I've been sitting here all afternoon glowing with pride, and thinking about how full of awesome "first times" this whole training experience has been. It's not just the race -- It's all the ways I've pushed myself and succeeded along the way. Among the firsts:

-- running 3 miles straight and thinking it was totally easy.

-- running 6 miles straight, ever.

-- running while chatting with my running-mates and actually enjoying it (maybe because I now have the lung strength to talk and run at the same time!) Turns out, running is much more fun when you're hearing about so-and-so's boyfriend drama while you go. Who knew?

-- running and actually enjoying it. It might help that I've been doing my running in stunning venus. Our regular workout track is high in the Berkeley hills, with an amazing view of San Francisco at sunset across the bay, our weekend workouts are in places like Tiburon, and I've been doing my independent runs around Oakland's Lake Merritt or in Frederick Law Olmstead-designed Mountain View Cemetery.

-- putting on running tights and thinking, huh, my butt actually looks kinda cute in these. :-)

-- wearing a wetsuit. Someone should really video tape us trying to get in and out of those things. It's comedy gold! I get the giggles every time. Me, halfway into my wetsuit before the race today:

-- having to douse myself in body glide to keep said wetsuit from chafing

-- swimming in the San Francisco Bay (!)

-- swimming in the SF Bay and enjoying it -- seriously, y'all, there's nothing like being out on Treasure Island early on a Saturday morning, watching the sun turn San Francisco all rosy and knowing that you're doing something that very few people would even think about doing. Yesterday, I had to do a quick swim to save myself for today's race, and I was actually SAD to get out of the water!

-- Riding my bike more than 15 miles at a go. And then more than 20 and more than 30 . . .

-- Wearing cycling shoes

-- Riding with clipless pedals on my bike. Despite what the name might indicate, clipless pedals are actually pedals that you clip your foot into while you're riding, kind of like a ski binding. I think perhaps the bike dude who named these pedals didn't know the meaning of the suffix "-less."

-- wiping out horribly on clipless pedals while learning to use them, giving myself the nastiest bruise I've ever had. (Mom, avert your eyes) See:

Actually, that first picture doesn't really do it justice. How 'bout this one?

The good news is, triathlon training is apparently turning me into a superhero, because that baby was almost completely GONE only 9 days later. My bruises never heal that fast!

-- and then, after a few tears, getting back on my bike and keeping on going to finish the hardest ride of the season (3 Bears Loop in Orinda. The "bears" in the ride name are the 3 big-ass hills, papa, mama, and baby).

-- not being terrified of riding uphill anymore. Or downhill for that matter -- I don't ride the brakes nearly as much as I used to!

-- swimming at the public pool. Which, as it turns out, is actually quite nice if you can ignore the skanky locker room. It's a heated outdoor pool, open year-round, with nice long lanes so you can get a good rhythm going.

-- sharing a swimming pool lane with someone else (actually 5 someone elses at my regular team workouts!) I only learned to swim in October, by thrashing about in the pool at the very swanky gym in my old neighborhood. I never had to share a lane there -- the pool was always practically empty. Which is good when you look like an injured seal as you try to learn freestyle.

-- doing swimming drills (I kind of love fingertip drag. Catch-up still gives me water-snarf syndrome, though)

-- swimming a mile straight, no stopping (just two days ago!)

-- Swimming butterfly stroke (yesterday!)

-- Swimming fly kick on my back -- fun!

-- Doing "brick" workouts (where you go straight from one workout to the next --e.g. biking to running. Called a brick because your legs feel like bricks at first when you switch events, supposedly, although that has not been my experience at all)

-- thinking that it's no big deal to ride my bike 25 miles and then run immediately afterward

I think when I started this whole thing, I just thought it'd be a good way to motivate myself to work out. But as it turns out, I've gotten SO much more out of it than that. I mean, first of all, I thought I would just do the easiest version of each of the workouts (they often give us a beginner option and an intermediate/advanced version) -- those looked hard enough. But as it turns out, I almost always do the longer version of the workout, and both enjoy it and find myself completely capable of it. There has been a time in almost every workout when I thought I maybe couldn't finish, or when I wanted to just stop because this or that was hurting or I was tired or whatever. But I've finished all of them. And now, today, I finished a race.

You'll have to excuse me while I go glow with pride some more:

Daily Dose of Gratitude #66

1. The smell of tomato plants and marigolds.

2. A fresh washed bedspread, dried in the sun (the cat is grateful for this, too!)

3. Working from home. (Please don't ask me what time I changed out of my PJs this morning. I'd rather not confess to that little gem :-)

4. Strong legs and gorgeous scenery -- Had an absolutely lovely 9 mile bike ride in Tiburon followed by a 4 mile run in the Berkeley hills last night. Views of the sun setting in San Francisco, so very grateful that I was out in the open air rather than stuck in one of the thousands of cars I could see crawling across the Bay Bridge.

5. Wonderful, amazing, happy friends (new and old)

Daily Dose of Gratitude #65

1. Swimming a mile straight, no stopping. The longest I've ever done.

2. A new handmade dress (terrible pic -- sorry! I promise it's adorable, though :-)

3. Fizzy pink drinks. (This pic is actually from February, when all I wanted to do for my birthday was to drink something pink and fizzy and play skee-ball. Skee-ball didn't happen, but I did get my pink and fizzy. Must get back up to wine country soon!)

4. Trivia night victory. Free beer, yeah!

5. The kind of incredibly satisfying kind of tired you feel only after a really amazing workout.

Daily Dose of Gratitude #64

1. An abundance of my favorite flowers at the farmer's market (and cheap, too!)

I am utterly charmed, by the way, by the misspelled sign.

2. Hiking with a good friend and seeing her old-school happy after several very tough months:

3. Starry night, wonderful conversation, live bluegrass in the background.

4. Dogs riding shotgun, tongues lolling, ears flapping back in the wind.

5. Yellow shoes.

Daily Dose of Gratitude

1. Tide low enough on my way across the bridge in the morning that I can see seals sunning themselves on shelves of exposed rock.

2. An awesome after work swim with women from my triathlon team. The longest I've ever swum in one work-out, in fact (nearly a mile and a half!)

3. And realizing that I'm strong enough right now to do a triathlon, even though I've still got 6 weeks before my scheduled race.

(Is there anyone who doesn't look a little silly in neoprene?)

4. The fact that I work out with a bunch of women who are impressed rather than horrified by the truly fabulous bruise I gave myself on Saturday, when I had a, shall we say, "unplanned exit" from my bike. (Sorry, no picture. My mom reads this blog, and I fear if she saw the bruise, she'd come out to California and let all the air out of my bike tires to keep me from ever getting on the confounded machine again.) (Love you, Mom!)

5. A chicken gyro with extra tzatziki sauce.

6. $3 bunches of brilliantly orange farmer's market ranunculus brightening my bedroom.

(An aside -- I just googled ranunculus to make sure I was spelling it right and learned that the gorgeous, ruffly ranunculuses (ranunculi?) that I get at the farmer's market are a type of buttercup. I had no idea - they look so different! )

Please hold . . .

Things are wicked stressful around here at the moment. We're in the "oh shit" phase of a huge project at work, I owe so many people emails and phone calls and coffee dates that I'm starting to feel like I'm never going to catch up. And, as usual, I'm finding myself dreaming of my favorite outdoorsy places. Always seems to happen when life is such that I am barely outside my office in daylight. And, of course, it doesn't help that I've been watching a little chunk of the Ken Burns National Parks special each night when I get home from work. Amazing, amazing stuff. I never, ever buy DVDs, but I think this one is going to have to be an exception!

Anyway, until I have time again for a real post, and until I have time to actually get back outdoors (still hoping for one last camping trip before the snow really sets in in the Sierras), here are a couple more of my favorite pics from this summer's wanderings:

High Sierras, somewhere near the Tioga Pass:

And on the North Dome Trail, Half Dome behind me. (Why is it that the sight of Half Dome in the distance still takes my breath away, even though I've seen it dozens of times? Seriously --every. single. time.)

Missing Autumn

For the past several days, I've been dreaming of fall. Apple-picking and pumpkin patches and of hills covered in red-garbed maples. Dreams of bundling up in a warm sweater and corduroy pants and getting lost in a good old fashioned corn maze. The midwesterner in me always comes out with a vengeance in the fall, because as much as I love California, fall never feels like autumn to me here. This is my 4th fall living here, and this is the closest I've ever found to the midwestern autumn colors in my heart:

This was taken last year in Lake Tahoe, somewhere near Emerald Bay. It's lovely -- the yellow aspens against the brilliant blue of the sky. In fact, I'm planning a trip to the Sierras in a couple weeks to enjoy the lovely weather again. (Anyone want to recommend where's best in October -- Tahoe, Yosemite, or Sequoia / Kings Canyon?) But, still, I'm lonely right now for home and the paintbox autumns of my childhood.

What I did on my summer vacation, Part 5

Enjoyed a lot of sunsets:

San Francisco, Land's End, June:

At an Oakland A's Game, June: (Fun game, lousy baseball stadium)

May Lake, Yosemite, July:

On the Trinity River, July: (My first time whitewater rafting!):

Lower Sunrise Lake, Yosemite, August:

Cathedral Lake, Yosemite, August:

Glen Arbor, Michigan. August: (The view from the porch of my parent's Lake Michigan beach house)

Lake Michigan, Glen Arbor, September:

(Don't know the guy fishing, but he sure does add to the picture, huh?)

Oh yeah, and lest you think I'm never home (Ken, I'm totally looking at you!), Right outside my own front door.

What I did on my summer vacation, part 4

Went hiking and in love all over again with the brilliant sunlit green of midwestern woods. Don't get me wrong, I love love love the California out doors, but we just don't have the same kind of gorgeous hardwood forests here.

I only wish I hadn't been too early for fall colors. The brilliant red orange yellow against deep blue sky of a Michigan October day has always and will always take my breath away.

Also, remembered just how gorgeous Lake Michigan is.

Especially seen from the top of a crazy steep sand dune in the middle of the woods.

What I did on my summer vacation, Part 3

Oh, and did I mention the jumping?

What I did on my summer vacation, Part 2

Made other people jump, too.

My sister, Dana:

My dad (jumping for apples):

Dorian:

(Aren't they all good sports, indulging my new-found joy in jumping pictures?)

What I did on my summer vacation, Part 1:

Jumped.

Molten Lake

On vacation with the family in Northern Michigan right now. I've been spending a lot of time NOT at my computer, looking at scenery like this. Just lovely.