Today I feel pleasantly tired.

Yesterday's swim was a huge challenge. Getting back in the water after a full day working in and out of the water makes the pool seem like overkill. But pool water is much cleaner, if warm. The old arms did not have 1500yds in them but I eeked out 1000. As each lap ended I asked myself "is there enough left for another lap?" For 15 laps the answer was yes. At that point, my brain gave out. Off to home. Did I mention that I biked in so after all that I had to ride home. Seemed like such a good idea the night before...what was I thinking?

The hubby had put dinner in the crock pot that morning. Boy, did the house smell GOOD when I arrived. Could have eaten the entire meal instantly. He's so cool.

Again, Wednesday's sampling put me behind in the lab. With this week's workout schedule totally blown apart by field work, I'm fitting in whatever my mind and body will allow. Today I finished a 50 minute run. If I swim long tomorrow, I'll make 5 of 10 workouts. My worst record since the hurricane. Oh well. Another disappointment came when I took a close look at my HR zones. Given my age, I have to drop down a few more beats per minute. This drops my running down to a crawl. I can almost walk faster. Maybe I've been working to hard at a higher HR? We'll see how it all works out.

Three names I go by:
1. Linae
2. Momma (for when my dog is bad)
3. a nickname only my younger brother uses: Lil Sis

Three screen names I’ve had:
1. linaeruns
2. onlyspirit
3. flocedoc

Three physical things I like about myself:
1. shoulders
2. hair
3. eye color

Three physical things I don’t like about myself:
1. arms
2. thighs
3. butt

Three parts of my heritage:
1. American
2. Florida
3. German

Three things I am wearing right now:
1. glasses
2. androsia fabric hair scrunchie
3. wanna wear my wedding ring but it gives my finger a rash

Three favorite bands/musical artists:
1. Jimmy Buffett
2. Cuban Sandwich Crisis
3. Allanis Morisette

Three favorite songs:
1. You live You learn
2. Death of an Unpopular Poet
3. Brown Eyed Girl

Three things I want in a relationship:
1. Friendship
2. Fun/Goofiness
3. Passion

Two truths and a lie (guess the lie)
1. I've studied 3 styles of martial arts
2. I speak Spanish
3. Computers are not my forte

Three physical things about the preferred sex that appeal to me:
1. Smile
2. Broad shoulders, skinny waist
3. Eyes

Three favorite hobbies:
1. Biking
2. Kayaking
3. Cooking/adventures in food

Three Things I want to do badly right now:
1. SLEEP
2. Catch up on my missed workouts
3. Spend time with my darling husband

Three things that scare me:
1. lightning
2. tall drop offs
3. bees/wasps

Three of my everyday essentials:
1. coffee
2. dinner with the hubby
3. workout

Three Careers you have considered or are considering:
1. Doctor
2. Translator
3. Teaching

Three places you want to go on vacation:
1. Mexico
2. Japan
3. Pacific tropical island

Three kids’ names you like:
1. Mark
2. Rabia
3. Katherine

Three things you want to do before you die:
1. Finish an ironman triathlon
2. Travel the world with my husband
3. Finish my PhD

Three ways I am stereotypically a boy:
1. Frogs and snakes are cool
2. Love american football
3. Dirt and sweat are not a problem

Three ways I am stereotypically a girl:
1. Not fond of bees or bugs in general
2. Love cooking
3. Overly fond of animals

Three celeb crushes (can't spell, sorry):
1. Dennis Quaid in the "A thing Called Love" video from Bonny Rait
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Orlando Bloom

My triathlon training is the topic of much discussion among friends and family. Most feel that there is no way I am working hard enough if I'm training. No more lectures, please. They don't understand. This is the one thing I have that is truly mine. Even my house has no place that is mine. All spaces are shared. But I am alone on the road. No birds, dogs, husbands, or well meaning individuals who say I shouldn't waste time training but are the first ones with an invitation to a weekend BBQ.

That being said, today I needed time for my dissertation. I'm disappointed. Saturday's bike came out of 6-8 weeks of solid base building. Base can go away so quickly. But Monday I had to field sample in 103 heat index on an uncovered boat for 5 hours. Too tired to swim after that. Tomorrow is more field sampling which means today is the only day to prep for digestions on Thursday and do writing and plan more field sampling for next week. I promised myself that the dissertation would have the priority. There really was no time to workout.

I've paid for it. A stressed out half panicked feeling has followed me all day. It's hard to have perspective or see the big picture. But at the end of the day, I finished everything but 1 item on my dissertation to do list. Some have been there for months, so, there is a pay off. I'd rather be training in Virginia with some friends but no such luck.

Tomorrow is another day.

Florida's Gulf Coast holds a special beauty. Warm waters, soft beaches, sunshine.

It's also as flat as a pancake. The few hills to be found are called "drawbridges" by the locals.

Knowing that the Florida Challenge (my upcoming 1/2 IM) is held in one of the hillest sections of the state, my intrepid training partner Michelle and I headed out to Clermont to ride the Olypmic distance bike course used for Sommer Sports TriAmerica Clermont Race. Why the olympic ride when I'm racing a half IM? Because it's shorter, Pinky.

And for those of you in Colorado or the Appalachians or California who say Florida doesn't have hills, I'm not here to argue testosterone levels. However, many a triathlete arrived in Clermont, FL, having neglected their strength and hill training, expecting a fast, flat course: YE BE WARNED SAYS I. Short, steep, and possibly brutal to the uninitiated. If you live near, say, a flat sandy beach, you could die.

Given death or cake, I choose cake. So, why not train for the hills as best I can? The day started with a lot of worry on my end. My training time is fairly limited. There's not much else to add if my body can't handle these hills. Still, the practice would help me mentally prepare for October. This was Part A of a 3 part plan. Part A: Survive the Olympic Bike course.

Short version: We came, we road, we conquered.

I don't know what to say other than I asked my body to perform. Much to my surprise it responded: OK. I don't know what to do. I feel confident. Sure, this is only 24 mile but it was a good 24. Solid. Could have gone faster and harder if I rode it again next week. My muscles are not overly tired or sore. Some sections put my HR near zone 5 but, this is practice. I made it. My training is working. The legs are strong. If I keep this effort/consistency going for 3 more months, I will finish the Florida Challenge. The bike will be hard but as long as I don't mess up nutrition, I'm golden. The run may be a walk but for a first time effort, I feel warm and fuzzy about walking.

The best part was Dave from TriHomestay in Clermont met us for lunch. We stayed at his homestay our first full season of triathlon. He's too funny. So much fun! He offered to let us shower at his place before heading out. What a godsend! I needed better food than McDonald's provided but heading into a real reastaurant after 2 hours of riding in 100F heat index seemed a little over the top. THANK YOU DAVE!

Nutrition/hydration is my only area of concern. Most of the course was up or downhill, making it tough to consume enough sports drink. It's important to practice this before the event. My bottle swaps must be flawless. Florida's heat will not forgive those who drink too little water or consume too little salt.

Oh yeah.

Part B: Survive 1/2 IM bike course
Part C: Last chance at 1/2 IM bike course

Sometimes I want to take pictures of the things I do for my disseration. People think science is all labcoats and chemicals. Today, I'm standing over the old digestion block with a car vaccum, trying to suck particles out of the bottom of 40 little tubes. There is no handbook on cleaning out the tube holes on a digestion block. Tomorrow I'll attack it with some brillo pads and a bottle brush.

Glamorous, is it not?

Next week I join the intrepid fish biologists who sample fish for the state. Me covered in fish on a mullet boat all day. Can't beat it. I don't mind doing the work but it's a far cry from the "geek in a chemistry lab" image that follows scientists around.

On the triathlon front: 8 of 10 workouts completed. A long run and long bike await this weekend.

Run: 41 minutes. Very slow pace but slightly less drenching than Tuesday
Swim: 800yds. Not bad.
Weights: Upped the leg press to 240. For some reason that makes me happy. I've decided to switch from increasing my weights to increasing my reps. Right now I do 2 sets of 12. The Triathlete's Training Bible suggests doing some higher rep stuff during base building periods. I'll give it a try.

Today's ride sucked.

Terrible. Lead legs.

Tuesday's run was bad but Wednesday's ride had me signing the consistency song the ENTIRE time. From alarm clock to final turn. "It doesn't matter if you're barely aerobic. At least you made it." Yeah, sure. I guess there is some consolation that 14 mph into a 15 mph head wind barely pushes zone 2 for me. But if Tuesday's run sucked, shouldn't the bike be good? At least satisfactory? For all of the low heart rate, my body felt like it was working.

And I already had a rest week. Last week. It felt great. Why does this week suck?

Because.

Remember when you were a kid and people asked you "Why?".

Because.

Because not every day is a good day. Not every workout is a break through. For all the glory of the ultramarathon finish, there is the pain and suffering of a mid-week workout.

Because.

Tomorrow is another day.

39:30 for 1518yds.

That time makes me pretty happy. I've almost returned to my personal best swim time of 39 minutes for 1500meters. That was 2 years ago when I was being coached. The time surprised me because the swim felt terrible. Slow. Out of balance. Tired. Yet the time on the watch didn't lie. With 3 months left to go, I'm confident I'll make the 1 hour cut off for the half IM swim at the Florida Challenge. This swim is the only cut off because the Florida Challenge is embedded in the Great Floridian iron distance race. If it takes me 17 hours to do a half IM, I've got bigger problems.

Oh yeah, yesterday's run was hot. Soaking wet dripping like it's raining cool max kind of hot. Good thing I ran with water. Too bad I ran slowly. Of course, it will be plenty hot for the run in October. Gotta acclimate.

With a little love and luck we will get by.

Saturday gave me the opportunity to ride with an old cycling pal.

Hank and I rarely ride together because he rides out of my league. OK, most cyclists are out of my league. But we have history. Hank was the first roadie to help me. Not cuss at my novice skills. Not smirk as the chubby girl rode by. Help me. Give advice. Encourage. He dropped down several groups to ride with me. In one ride, he made me a much better cyclist. He offered suggestions on everything from my spin to my cornering to my bad breaking habits. Dozens of cyclists owe him thanks for the group riding etiquette he taught me that day.

The last few months in the bike club, Hank (not his real name) was missing. Only after running into him around town did I learn why. He was in the middle of chemotheraphy treatments for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Hank had been so strong, so fit but he could barely work or walk a block to his car. Hearing his voice quiver as he talked about chemo made my heart cry. I told him that day: when you beat this thing we will ride: any time, any pace, and distance.

Saturday we rode again. Nine months had passed since his last ride. He wanted to ride the full 90 minute group ride with the 18mph group. He was worried he would get dropped and be too far away to ride home. Not to worry. The Team Hank domestiques showed up ready to ride. Michelle, John and I set up a strong draft zone at the back of the group. We would pull for Hank until he dropped us or asked us to call for Michelle's Honda Element. In fact, he rode so well early on he almost dropped us. :-) But the spastic pace of the lead riders eventually broke up the group. First 16mph then 21. Wait 17 is better. Maybe we should go 18. SprintSprintSprint!

Enough already. John and Michelle sprinted to the front in an attempt to show them how to set a pace to no avail. We let them go, settling in at a steady 17-18mph pace for the last half of the ride. In the end, fun was had by all. We all finished. No one was left behind.

Team Hank rides again in 2 weeks. Maybe we'll get faster together. More than likely, he'll blast past us in the next few weeks, well on the road to remission. Go Hank.

A little writing was accomplished yesterday afternoon. I used a technique from another blog for writers block. What I wrote wasn't great but it got me going for another 15 minutes or so. I'll try it again today. I've started reading a book on dissertation writing to see if I can find nuggets of wisdom to help me along the way. The first few chapters were comforting. At least it's not just me. However, I'm under a time deadline and must work as fast as possible. The extra stress keeps me working out.

Overall the recovery week is going well. I seriously don't want to get out of bed in the morning. Each day I remind myself that it's a good thing to wake up early without the alarm. I should take advantage of it. Not that I got out of bed. My watch alarm went off, twice, and then my dog came over to the bed whining. Fate would have me run no matter what siren pillow says. The dog won. Tumbling out of bed, I gathered my things. Off I ran.

The morning run went well. The goal was to test my pace in Zone 2. I'm glad to say my pace has improved to about 13 minute miles. A local homeowner watched me from his yard. "Do you run every day" - he asked. "Almost" - I replied. "Well keep it up. I'm proud of you. You look great, like you're losing weight". - he said. Apparently, he notices me jogging along. Creepy but comforting. Plus, I'll take the compliments whenever they come, even if I weigh 3 pounds more now than when I started this whole thing 6 weeks ago.

That's it for now. I have a short 500 to swim this afternoon. The weight workout is being dropped to work in lunch with a friend. Let's see how the day goes.

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
- Thomas Edison

This quote floated across my TRIDRS email today. Even if it's not from Thomas Edison, this just hit me. Just like this one from Eddie Merckx:

"Talent by itself is not enough. If one doesn't work hard, one will never make it to the top of the heap."

Gosh. The dissertation road is long. Gotta finish writing the research work plan. Gotta workup the data. The data tell me things I don't want to hear. Contamination in the protocol. Time to start over or redo the plan. Again. SIGH.

Just when I got a little writing groove going, the contamination issue raises it's head to redirect my attention. Now I'm trying to write again. Only I can't. I'm stalled. When my writing stalls, a predictable series of events follow:

Check all my email accts from all my lists
Visit cnn.com and news.bbc.com to make sure I'm up on current events
Get hungry
Get distracted by being hungry
Hunt for food
Eat
Remain stalled
Check all my email.....

Rather than stay stalled, I decided to write to my blog. Maybe that will push me in the proper direction as far as writing goes. Or not.

On the bright side: I rode my bike as scheduled. Yeah.

And because it's not hurricane season without one...we present: Emily. At least she won't arrive until after my long weekend workouts....

Siren pillow calls loudly during recovery weeks. So far I have resisted the desire to skip workouts.

Run AM: good
Swim Lunch: also good but not quite as fast as yesterdays. Still, my swim times show how much a little rest can do to make me faster.
Weights: A little pain in my right shoulder so I took it even easier than planned.

Off to do something amazing on my dissertation today. Must stay motivated...

What do you get when tropical storm force winds and extra high tides follow 2 weeks of red tide? You guessed it: dead fish on the side walk. Apparently the higher than normal tides and wind driven waves flooded most of the peninsula this weekend. There is something odd about seeing dead catfish a good 100 yards from the water. The smell is oh so tasty.

However, this is a minor inconvenience compared to the damage in the panhandle. Heck, the pool was open. Sure, they'll shock it with chlorine later on today but no salt water (or dead fish) made it into the pool. I got in my easy 500yds to kick off my recovery week.

Well, 3 rest days in a row won't kill me. Some would probably ride or run anyway but the wind still makes our power flicker That means there are winds strong enough to drop a tree branch and/or bring down a power line. I'll stay here doing my yoga, thank you very much. That's right, I'm not that macho. Sue me.

Next week was a rest week anyway. I'll just rearrange my workouts to start the rest week a few days ago on Friday. Instead of easy workouts next weekend, I'll do the runs and rides for this weekend. It will all workout.

Unless get really motivated and bring out the bike trainer, this week will end with only 6 of 10 workouts completed.

Again, I pray for those in Alabama and Florida who lay in the path of Dennis. May you weather the storm safely.

Dennis definitely put a damper on my training. It was bad enough that I missed a swim and a weight workout. I'll be lucky to get in a run tomorrow. Forget about riding today. 40mph gusts with a tornado watch and falling tree potential.

My thoughts go out to those in the Panhandle who are bracing for the storm. May your preparations be swift, complete, and secure.

The first clouds of Dennis waft across the sky. I don't want to ride my trainer for 2 hours tomorrow.

Clearly, nothing that happened in my day matches the horror experienced by those in the UK, especially London. Take care.

Better late than never. Here are the service men and women who make me proud on the 4th. Maybe it's better saved for Veterans Day but we would not be able to celebrate our independence without the continued service of the few and proud.

In no particular order, here is a recognition of members of the armed forces I know personally.

Bill Lack
Janette Ho
Paul Young
Patrick Hamilton
Grampa Howie
Grampa Dick
Lisa Vanderbloemen

Some saw recent conflict. Some stood the firm line of the cold war. Others saw things in WWII they would like to forget. Thank you.

Squalls out on the Gulf Stream.

Gotta post. All my work this week could be for nothing. Dennis is in the house and we are in the cone.

Having been called out by Holly to list the song I love despite the emabarassment it brings....

OOOO-KKKKKK...I have a secret love for country music...but the song I hate to admit I love...Men Without Hats: "Safety Dance", followed closely by One Night In Bangkok and anything by A-Ha.

This Buffett tag from Nancy is killing me. My blog is wasting away again while I try to crank out semi-true stories laced with Buffett lyrics. Don’t get me wrong. I love the lifestyle depicted in Buffett’s songs. It’s just that lately life has made me feel too dutiful. And Buffett was only interested in making music for money so the music is a vision that finally disappears as the sun bakes the road.

Looking back over the past month of training, there’s been little time for nibbling on sponge cake. The last month has been very consistent, I even made 10/10 workouts last week. But, I’ll admit, seeing the morning sun takes its toll. I can’t run at this pace very long. Next week’s rest week will be well deserved.

The weekend ride was a mix of riding partners. I try to ride with someone because a few neighborhoods along the route are just a little bit shadey. Too many people with nothing to do. Having flatted in this part of town before, it’s nice to have company. However, everyone has to ride their ride and this weekend none of the rides meshed. John rode to my house, giving him a 30 minute head start. I needed an extra hour before Michelle came. Then we needed 1.5 hours for her. It gets complicated.

The weather started out with a few clouds looking a little too fluffy. On these days you ride the winds of fortune because weather forecasts are impossible. One cloud will rain for 3 blocks, leaving the most oppressive humidity on the planet. You decide if its better to be rained on or not. The weather gods smiled on us until the end. The house was so far and yet so near. Between us and the house was a rain cloud. So much for staying dry. Our last 10 minutes on the ride with rain. But never fear, my old red bike gets me around. We made it through no problem. Normally, Joe would have some rum and cooked animals ready when we returned but we got back a little too early for that.

Sunday’s run went well. You’ve never seen pigeons fly so fast or tiny birds defy logic to fight this huge bird until you’ve seen a red shouldered hawk tree top flying. Talk about fins. I don’t know what those little starlings are thinking other than “not today ass clown”. OK, so the runs get boring. I need a little mental floss to make it through.

I had planned to head over to Clermont this weekend for some hill training but my dissertation schedule can’t spare the extra 3 hours of driving involved. So, I’ll torture myself with a ride out to the old Gandy Bridge. It’s better than nothing. It would be ok if I could spend the saved time passed out in my hammock but no luck. Off to the lab I go.

Overall, I can’t complain. My consistency has been great. The body feels good. Given that the hard work has been done, next week will feel wonderful.

Nancy tagged me to blog something with many Jimmy Buffett references in it. That's on the way, however, the weekend was packed with family activities. This week is gearing up to be a big dissertation week.

However, I completed the scheduled long bike and long run for the weekend making me 10 for 10 last week. YEAH!

Today I've completed 1 of 3 workouts and am on my way to the pool and gym for lunch. Wish me luck as a go over my 2:30 meeting in my head as I do laps. :-)

That's my story and I'm sticking to it

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian friends. Some of the nicest people on the planet, those Canadians.

Train safely over the 4th of July, Americans. The roads will be crazy!

The St. Pete Times has a link to a little video of the sharks.

Here are photos from a collegue.

Here is a photo of bull sharks. I don't have any good ones of my own because the water in the harbor is normally murky. Add all the red tide and it's hard to get a good photo.



I'll ask around to see if anyone at the college has good pics.