Triathlon Transition No No's

Fodder for any budding triathlete! Cheers and happy training!

Spectating Spectacle Part Two

Crit Cred . . . . So on Sunday, I not only watched a triathlon... but after the race, Rob and I rode into the city to watch the Houston Grand Crit races. . . .

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Now i'm not a roadie, but I think in criterium races, cyclists go all out for forty minutes to an hour? . . . .

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In downtown, the riders did loops around Allen Parkway for an hour. We were there to support our friend Philip . . . .

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We weren't the only ones in the Philip fan club.

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Rob was tired from the morning's race. . . . .

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Congrats to Phil and all the racers out there. Ya'll are animals!

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Cheers and happy training! . . . "If you always give, you will always have" Chinese proverb

Spectating Spectacle

I've raced in dozens of triathlon races, but I have never watched one as a spectator. That changed on Sunday, when I headed south to the ....

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Silverlake Sprint Triathlon

. . . . Contrary to belief, I don't always have to be the center of attention. I am glad to let someone else take that reign. For the Silverlake Sprint triathlon (comprised of a 400 meter swim, a 10 mile bike ride and a 3 mile run), that would be Rob. . . . .

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What a fan club he had for this race: his two sons, our friend Joe and me. And lucky him for having me help him pack all his race stuff the prior night. Heck, when I first started in triathlons I had no clue what I was doing! . . . . . . . . . Rob's Race Report . . . . . Since Rob swam throughout his life and in college, swimming is his strongest suit. He proved his swimming worth by coming first out of the water in his age group. We all watched and cheered him on as he got out of the water in 6:31. Not bad for a 44 year old! . . . .

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Now his transitions are another thing.

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Still new to the sport, Rob enjoys taking his time. More on Rob's transitions in a moment, but first. let's talk about the ...

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Bike

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This is where Rob's work in progress kicks in. He is very new to biking. He just started cycling a month ago, and just yesterday, did we finally put a computer on his bike. Happy to report though, he is getting stronger and may finally beat this 11 year old boy at the next race. I'm kidding of course! Rob finished the bike in a 31:38. Running Robbie Rob is a solid runner. I told him to go all out, since it was a short course race, to which it appeared he listened. Of course, leave it up to me to run out of memory on my camera at the last minute. This is the only shot of Rob I have of him coming through the finish chute. He's on the far right in the blue spandex. total run time: 23:01 . . . .

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Rob's Total time: 1:05:42

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Okay, back to those transitions: T1 : 2:42 / T2: 1:53

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.So Rob probably could have shave about 3 minutes off his time had he hustled a little bit more in the transition area. But hey, it was just his second race.

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Anyhoo, I am very proud of him. Rob came in 5th in his age group and the most important thing...he liked it.

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I'm also very proud of my BFF Ryan, who finished in 56 minutes!!!

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. Congrats to the two best looking men at the race!!!

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. Cheers and happy training!

"A light heart lives strong."

Wiliam Shakespeare

Here's to Boys!

Sometimes we have to take a break from training for girltime to say... Cheers to Boys!

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.Tonight, we kidnapped Ironbabe Jane from her home. I was more than happy to do it. It not only meant Jane and I could do that girl thing, but it also meant the return of....

Pinkgurugal's yummy guilt free sugar free margarita..

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mmmm..... good to the last sip.....

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Yes, we love boys!

Cheers and happy training!

I like Bike to work

Bike Banter . . . Even though I am mmmm.... not working, on Friday I participated in the City of Houston's Annual Bike to Work Day. About 100 people ride from Memorial Park to city hall in this event. . . . Last year, I participated as not just a rider, but a reporter. . . This year, I am just a rider. And because I am no longer a reporter, I can say this: it's kind of a dog and pony show that promotes biking to work. Because anyone who knows the city of Houston knows we are soooooo behind the bike friendly eight ball. Rude drivers, lack of bike lanes, uneven, potridden roads... who would want to put their lives at risk? . . . Anyhoo, I still enjoy this day of camraderie, notwithstanding the feigned attempt at getting Houstonians to save the environment and bike to work. . . . I particularly enjoy seeing some of my police officer pals. Go Sgt. Rory! . . .

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And of course, my BFF Ryan.

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Somewhere in this pack is Houston's Mayor.

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Kid's don't try this at home. I call this "kodak moment" while riding. I do it all the time.

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Officer Escort

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I am a big fan of the men and women in blue. And they are a big fan of pinkgurugal.

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Here I am posing with Houston's finest in front of my home. These officers happily escorted me back to my home after our dog and pony show. There's nothing like police escort along busy streets. I wonder what the neighbors were thinking?

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Cheers and happy training!

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.".

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Eleanor Roosevelt

Have Road Will Ride

Gurus Gone Ridin . . One of the luxuries of being on career sabbatical is being able to ride on a weekday. It's nice to be able to head to the country with a friend to do an easy 50. What's even nicer is the ability to pack two bikes in a truck so easily. Look Mom, the tiniest GURU bikes ever built! . . . . . . Since Ironbabe Jane is in her waning weeks of IM Austria, this is the kind of riding she needs. I need this to keep my sanity. Only crazy people take self photos while on a bike. Here I am showing off my new 8 dollar sunglasses purchased from the local convenient store. . . . .

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I'm kinda surprised Jane still likes me, given I convinced her to sign up for IM Austria, then bailed for blah blah reasons. . . All told, today's ride was quite ideal. Here we are, in mid May, in what is supposed to be the beginning of the summer sizzle deep in the heart of Houston, Texas. . . . Instead, Jane and I enjoyed a cool, overcast day. By the time we got to the country, the rain had moved south. We didn't get wet, and the roads were not too terribly slick. There was plenty of tailwind, and there was little traffic. . . . . . . One of the beauties of riding on a weekday. .

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I did my good deed of the day by pushing a turtle off the road, even though I think he was dead.

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We also saw an unusually high number of vultures. Jane swears she saw a coyote with one of the packs and had a "holy shit" moment (she was recently attacked by a dog). . . . I relished in a small stretch of the road Jane characterizes as velvet. Somewhere around mile 36, the road becomes smooth to uber smooth. I think that stretch was recently repaved. . . I wish all roads were velvet. . . Cheers and happy training! . . . "Life is a series of moments, to live each one is to succeed" Corita Kent

A massage moment and Cycling Cents

Accident Update . . Even though I didn't think my bike accident was all that bad, my back disagreed. Over the last few days, I have had pain in both my lower back and my neck. I think when I went down I must my poor back took a pounding . . Anyhoo, I called my good friend and massage therapist Cheryl to the rescue. . . Here she is looking as beautiful and warm as ever. . . . . . . Because Cheryl is also a good friend, unlike most massages where I just want to shut up and let the therapist do their work, getting a Cheryl massage allows me time to catch up with her. . . . Turns out, her clients include blog buddies Trigreyhound and Kathleen and several other local triathletes. I guess word travels quickly when you find a good therapist. . . Isn't Cheryl great guys? Yep, she digs deep into my lower back muscles and really works my tightness out. So much that I am usually squealing like a pig on her table. It's that hurts so good kinda' pain, ya know what I mean. . . And with the tri season in full swing, Cheryl says she's pretty busy with her steady stream of athletic regulars. Yes, triathlons keep massage therapists like Cheryl busy. I guess that means we're good for business.

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. Collision Costs

. . Recently Rob sent me something he came across in one of his legal mumbo jumbo things (I don't know what lawyers read). . . . Anyhoo, it lists court awarded costs given in recent Bicycle accident cases around the country (in case you were wondering) :

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$12.5 million - cyclist struck and killed when driver veered into bike lane. . $2.8 million - cyclish suffered crushed arm, lacerated spleen, several fractures . $916K - cyclist's leg was run over

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. $85k - "simple" crash with motorist.

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Hmmm.... so if I die I'm rich, if I'm mamed I become a millionaire, and if some idiot hits me, then I have enough money to take some time off, take a few vacations, and buy a new bike or two.

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I'd like to choose none of the above, but of course, that's out of my control.

Be careful out there boys and girls.

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"The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell and hell of Heaven."

John Milton

50 miles is fun

Back on the bike * * On Saturday morning, Rob and I and a group of friends headed east for the annual Columbus ride. Even though clear and sunny skies were forecasted, it was an overcast, cool morning. * * *

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That was nice, though there was mucho headwind, which made fifty miles seem longer.

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Our group made the ride a leisurely one, stopping about three times to refill or eat a banana.

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I was proud of Rob, since this was his first fifty mile ride. * *

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Everything was going fine, albeit the head wind, until the last five miles.

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I took my first spill of the year, and I think the worst one I've had.

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Bike Boo Boo

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These road rash injuries were sustained while I was making a left turn onto another country road.

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Unbeknownced to me the road was actual filled with gravel. * ** It looks worse than it feels, but here's what was going through my mind as I was sliding onto the pavement. * *

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1) SHIT! who saw me? 2) Is my bike okay? 3)Oh no, did I tear my ironman jersey?

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I think Rob was more concerned about the blood oozing down my leg than me.

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I'm just grateful that the bike is okay, and that the jersey didn't tear, and that the only person who saw the spill was Rob. * Cheers and happy training!

Photo Opps and Reluctant Riding

Ironstar Appearance --- For the 838 people who raced in CB and I triathlon last weekend, you may have noticed a postcard advertising the local Ironstar half ironman distance race inside your schwag bag ---- I didn't, but Rob did. Look who he saw. --- --- I had to take a second and third glance at this one, because..... could they have picked a worse photo? Even Rob thought I looked like a sea lion coming out of the water.

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--- Back on the Bike --

-- It's good to be riding long again. Last Friday Ironbabe Jane and I packed our GURUs into her nifty new mini SUV and headed west for a two hour ride. -- -- --

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Jane yelled at me for taking this shot of her. Photo taking while riding is probably worse than driving while texting. Anyhoo, I did stop. But not before I tried to take a shot of this.

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You can't see em, but Jane and I were getting pelted by millions of lovebugs! I mean millions! - - It was a nasty ride. Thank God Jane and I aren't girly girls, otherwise, this ride would have ended before it began. - - Yep, it's love bug season in good 'ole Texas, and as we rode, the lovebugs kept coming...into our hair, eyes, mouth, legs....

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- I don't think lovebugs are so cute anymore.

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Alter Ego

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- Now if I thought that postcard shot of me was bad, check out pyscho pinkgurugal at the pool. - - -

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Boys will be boys

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Just another beautiful day at the club pool.... - - Cheers and happy training!

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"Find a need and fill it" Henry J. Kaiser

CB and I Synopsis

Finally my First! The weekend culminated with my first sprint triathlon race of this "season"... I say that in quotations because I'm not sure how much of a "season" it will be for me, given 1) I dropped out of Ironman Austria (although I actually had thoughts of getting back on that wagon ... it's 11 weeks aways???) 2) I'm not hardcore training 3) I'm signing up for races as I go Anyhoo, the CB and I sprint triathlon comprises of a 500 meter swim, a 15 mile bike ride and a 3.1 mile run. This was the first time I got to race in this one, since every year it falls on a Saturday morning, and for the last several years, my Saturday mornings have been spent anchoring the local news, which by the way, I honestly sooooo don't miss. I can't tell you how much I appreciated being able to do this sprint triathlon. Reader's Digest Race Report Just like almost every local race, CB and I's open water swim was in the man made duck pond. There were 73 women in my age group, and like all races, the beginning was a free for all. After getting pushed, kicked, dunked and all that normal swim stuff, I got out of the water after around 12 minutes 45 seconds, ran to my bike and was off. No real worries on the bike, the weather was perfect, and there was little wind to speak of. But I must admit, since I am not in as great a shape as last year several people passed me up. Total bike time: 47 minutes, 18.9 mile average Then there was the run. Truthfully speaking, I have hardly run at all this year. Most of my time has been spent on either the bike or the pool... I mean, what little time I have devoted. I felt pretty slow and winded, but then an angel showed up. A race colleague I had not seen since last year ran up to me. So instead of huffing and puffing, we both enjoyed our race by chatting about life and relationships... ya know, the kinda stuff chicks talk about. A volunteer yelled at us that to stop talking, that this was a race. To which I indignantly replied "WE"RE HAVING FUN!!!" Because isn't that what it's about? I was so happy to see my girlfriend. Our total run time: 29:22, 9:25 mph pace Total time: 1:32:48, 24th in my age group of 73. I was happy. Oh and I think I'll place marginally better since I am now in that 35-39 female age group. I'll take it! I was also VERY PROUD of Rob for finishing his first complete race!! RACE ROB RACE!

Here he is coming out of the water, the 7th person in his age group

Not bad for someone who hasn't been competitively since he swam in high school and college!

TRIATHLON TRAGEDY

On a sadder note: A fellow triathlete died during this race, unbeknownced to many of us out there. Word is he was found floating in the water, and kayakers had to pull him out. Here's the link to the story in the paper.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5753436.html

My former employer also learned of the story, so I connected them with a fellow triathlete who actually tried to rescucitate the poor fellow after kayakers pulled him from the water. The story made the 6pm news that evening. http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080503_tnt_triathlondeath.c604a8f5.html It's always sad when this happens, but isn't it strange that most racers had NO IDEA this happened. I mean, his swim wave was before mine (he was 51 years old), and we just kept swimming. I mean, i guess you can't cancel an entire race just because there was an accident. But there wasn't even a mention of it at the post race party or awards ceremony? I happened to find out because my friend was there. At that point I was having my congratulatory 9am beer and scarfing down breakfast tacos. Sad and Surreal. Say a prayer for his family. "To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive" Robert Louis Stevenson