Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Happy New Year!

New Shiny Things

Yes, I received a new shiny thing for Christmas.

Because we can't ruin the new bike's aerodynamic frame with wires, can we?

Now pirate stickers, that's another story.

Merry Christmas

Its christmas in the caribbean

Snowbirds fill the air

Its christmas in the caribbean

Lots of presents everywhere

We dont live in a hurry

Send away for mistletoe

Its christmas in the caribbean

Got everything but snow

Lights are blowing in the palm trees

Stockings hanging from the mast

Santa riding on a dolphin

Don't you want to make it

Don't you want to make it last

--Jimmy Buffett

Introducing

Please welcome Kayko, the lovebird to my blog. Kayko is one of two dutch blue lovebirds who share our home. Both are fully flighted which means they are free to roam whenever they are out of their cages.

One of Kayko's favorite post-long ride activities is to chew on my cycling gloves. It's hysterical to watch this careening lovebird fly through doorways in search of the elusive cycling glove. Unlike the other lovebird, Kayko does not chew holes in the fabric. He must love the stretchy smooth feel of technical fabrics or something.

The other day he was so engrossed in his chewing that the camera went unnoticed. He's a cutie even if he does chew on everything. :)

Crossover Skills

This morning, while riding my trainer for the zillionth time this winter, two things struck me.

First, from the moment the alarm sounded at 5:15AM I did not want to ride this trainer?
Second, how the heck did i get 25 minutes into the ride?

For me it's called Let's Make a Deal. It's probably the most important skill I've learned. Being the stubborn little feist that I am, if you tell me I can't have something, I want it. If I MUST do it, I won't. So rather than mentally beat myself up that I MUST run 8 miles or swim 2500 yards or ride the trainer, I agree that I don't have to. Just walk to the top of the hill, then see if you want to run. Drink your coffee on the trainer as a warm up, then quit. Every now and then I still skip the workout, however, this skill gives me a 90% success rate for workouts on the verge of skip.

Then the THIRD thing hit me.

Why can't I use this technique in my life? I get mental blocks about stuff I MUST complete all the time, especially writing. Why not? Indeed. I'm trying it today.

How many of you have learned skills during training that have helped you in life? What are they? Can I borrow them.? :)

Quick Thanks

Thank you for the squash advice. Don't need anymore. Really. I know about cooking the squash ahead of time. Now any tips on tofu would be appreciated. I can't seem to cook it without sticking it to the pan. Non-stick pans make it easier but people have been cooking tofu for centuries without Teflon. There must be a way. Enough of my cooking dilemas.

And thanks to my friends, in life and in blogland who have listened to me moan about writing the big D. After a while, there is nothing more to say but letting me whine about it keeps me going. Special thanks to Christina, who recommended running away to Tahiti. I know you know my pain.

The weekend workouts went well. The bike was steady and strong for 2.5 hours. This time I drank some powerade which maintained my energy level. However, the scale still jumped 3.5 pounds overnight. It's not unusual for me to gain weight after long workouts but maybe a little salt will even out the water gain. Sunday's run consisted of 9 miles in 1:36. Blinding speed for me, to be honest. It was a difficult pace but the celebration of it carried me into the work week. I'm excited to see what paces may develop in time for the Gasparilla 15K. Next week I take a step back in distance and pace to recover. I got to be ready to start coaching January 1!

Remind me

Why am I writing this dissertation instead of running away to Tahiti? Anyone?

Writer block sucks. Blogger's comment issues suck. I slept through my trainer ride this morning. Woe is me. Feel free to join the pity party.

Oh well, back to the grind. In general, the differences in trace metal concentrations between locations follows the patterns found in previous sediment work.....

Squash update: Apparently you have to cook the squash before it's soft enough to peel. Potato peelers are no where near strong enough to peel a squash. Why don't any of the recipes say that? Other than Nancy's suggestion of a chainsaw, no one has suggested an easier way to cut the damn things open before you cook them.

Comment Help

Two people emailed me privately to say they could not comment on my blog because I switched to Blogger Beta.

That is the reason I've received no comments, right? It's not because people have no response to my inspiring posts about squash or training or whatever.

Fortunately, there is a solution! My comments allow you to click Other or Anonymous. You can leave comments on my blog even if you're having issues with the Blogger/Blogger Beta compatibility. The Other option allows you to fill in your name an website.

Better? Feel free to use it on other people's blogs as needed. Beta won't be Beta forever. Eventually Blogger will upgrade everyone. Can't see them paying to maintain two free blogging systems. In the mean time, you are free to leave me tips on cutting squash without killing myself. Even if only two or three fellow bloggers comment each week, they are welcome messages in my inbox.

Squash Question

How the hell do you peel squash?

Recipes talk about peeling and chopping squash as if it were as simple as making apple pie. In fact, it's more like cutting cement blocks. It took me 30 minutes to conquer one acorn squash on Monday night. ONE. SQUASH.

Is there a secret?

Investment

Tuesday, an investment article got me thinking. The article said that a young adult who invests $100 per month in their twenties will end up with a lot more money than someone who starts investing the same amount in their 30s . The return on the investment is much greater than the money you put in for those 10 extra years. Obviously, the more you invest, the better.

Enter the obsessed thoughts of a person training for an Ironman. Why do I write about deposits in the Bank of Ironman when the race is 11 months away and the workouts are only 2 hours? Early consistency will bring even greater returns down the road. The base for those uber-long workouts will be solid which means the gains from those workouts will be greater than if I were desperately building aerobic base and distance at the same time.

So I consider these workouts to be an investment in my future goals and mental health.

Happy investing.

Peep!

Hi all. Very busy with school. Writing, revisions, new stable isotope data. Craziness I tell you. When my blog falls silent, know that I'm getting slammed but you remain in my thoughts. In fact, blog reading serves as a reward after particularly grueling writing sessions.

Lets see...quick updates...

The Big D: First version of chapter one (aka Paper 1) is done. Gotta add some captions and fight with End Note. Chapter 2 is in development. Data for chapter 3 arrived over the weekend. This means lots of work but its very good news.

IM Training: Last week's workouts were almost perfect. I missed Friday's swim but, people, I'm a cold weather weenie. Cold weather and rough water are my biggest fears for IM Florida. NO WAY am I swimming in an outdoor pool when it's 54F outside, even if you do heat it to 78F. Outdoor temps must be >60F. On race day, I'll have a wetsuit and 2000 other maniacs to join in the fun.

Weekend workouts made substantial deposits in my Bank of Ironman account. Saturday held a chilly, very windy ride. Almost exactly the same conditions as IM Florida this year. I don't own cycling clothes for remotely cool conditions, much less below 50F. The looks from fellow cyclists told me what I already knew: running warm up pants bunched up with rubber bands around my ankles matched with a long sleeved light weight running shirt aren't considered cycling fashion. Two hours on the road. 25mph headwind for the second half. Did I mention I left food & poweraide at home because I assumed my willpower would fail after 20 minutes? Yeah, water only for 2 hours is kinda harsh. By the time I returned, my arms and legs were pink from the chill. Gotta buy a long sleeved jersey and tights.

Sunday called for an 8 mile run which lasted 400yds. My legs, brain, and spirit were tired. Three minues of of internal dialog later, I had convinced myself to slog through 2 miles. At 2 miles the story switched to "only one more mile and you've complete one loop". So on and so forth until 8 miles were on the books. My bad attitude never changed. Usually life perks up by the middle of the workout but not Sunday. In fact, I wanted to be done SO badly and was in such a foul mood that I pushed the pace to the max for the last two miles. First two miles: 24:4something. Last two miles: 19 minutes flat.

Some days you fight the weather, other days you fight your mind but it all adds up to substantial deposits to the Bank of Ironman. My body is dragging today which indicates I pushed a little too hard over the weekend but today is a recovery day. A Starbucks visit may be mandatory.

Would you bleed to love her

Once again she steals away
Then she reaches out to kiss me
And how she takes my breath away
Pretending that she don't miss me

Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Ooh, bleed to love her
Ooh, I would bleed to love her

And once again she calls to me
Then she vanishes in thin air
And how she takes my breath away (breath away)
Pretending that she's not there

Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Ooh, bleed to love her
Ooh, I would bleed to love her

Somebody's got to see this through
All the world is laughing at you
And somebody's got to sacrifice
If this whole thing's gonna turn out right

Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Ooh, bleed to love her
Ooh, I would bleed to love her
Bleed to love her
Bleed to love her

--Lindsey Buckhingham

Would you? Ships are always SHE. So are many coveted things just out of reach. Time with loved ones? Sleep? Parties, friends, and food you normally savor? Those things you thought were untouchable?

After my trying day, the answer is:

Yes.
Whether I like it or not.

How about you?

Loose Letter F

Here are 10 things I love that begin with the letter F

Friends - This probably needs no explanation but spending time with our friends and lovers are the times we'll remember, though they will not last forever.

Fun - We spend so much of our lives working hard to save for retirement and eating healthy food to live longer, yet no one on their death bed wishes they had spent more time in the office.

Fireflies - Beautiful, simple, lovely.

Faraway places - If I won the lottery I would travel extensively to places I've never dreamed of visiting.

Feistiness - Nothing wrong with standing up for yourself and the things you believe in. Sometimes you owe an apology and your opinion can change. But all you can do is be true to yourself at that moment. Hindsight is 20/20. Feistiness leads to fewer regrets.

Fitness - It's fun to be strong and exceed your expectations. So many times in life we work hard at the job, spend months building a project, only to have it stolen or thrown away. Time spent strengthening your body gives you fitness in your soul.

Fire - Warm and beautiful. Flickering candles arranged on a table make a great evening. The heat from a fire a cold day in the woods warms you up and makes breakfast .

Finish lines - They are things we look forward to, goals for which to strive and places of celebration. The journey to finish lines (whether races or in life) make up life. What we learn along the way makes us who we are.

Fast cars- I love fast cars, especially when I can drive them. Beauty, function, and responsiveness in one vehicle. Just yummy. My dream car has always been a Porche. Don't know that it will ever come to be but they still hold my fancy

Forgiveness - One of the most powerful concepts on the planet. Without forgiveness, we end up in a world where people nurture the pain of old wrongs and look for vengeance because it is their right. Look around people. We need more true forgiveness. I'd rather let it go.

Training Partners

Tomorrow marks the first ride with a prospective riding partner. It's a bittersweet day day. She's a great girl fresh from her first ironman. We seem to have a lot in common. I should be more excited.

But I miss my old riding partners. One has been reduced to walking due to back problems. The other rider moved to Tennessee. Life happens, I know but memories of burgers, tater tots, and beer in the back yard after long rides seem so fresh.

The funny thing is, I never wanted training partners. My journey as an adult onset athlete started alone. I was a very slow walker/runner so there was no one at my pace who would consider a marathon. So I ran alone. Slowly but surely things changed. A ride here, a run there, a few similar race seasons and BAM you have training partners. I will never forget how cool it was to see those two on the beach this season. A total surprise. They came to spectate so that I wouldn't have to race alone. The sign they made that day is part of the designated bike trainer area in the garage. It was cool.

Now that they are gone, I'm jonesing for company. It's time to take the next step. Time to find others of similar mind who will share parts of my ironman journey. It's a little nerve wracking. Will we get along? Will they be faster than me? But the triathlon gods brought me a new running partner. Maybe this weekend will bring a riding partner. The pieces are coming together.

It's a little bit of a paradox. Triathlon rules require that we race alone yet the training brings people together.

What about you? Do you train alone? With others? Which do you prefer?