Open Water Swimming

For the past three weeks, I've been going to a cedar water lake about 20 minutes from my house and joining upwards of 30-50 other people for some laps around a few buoys.  Three weeks ago was the first time I swam in a wetsuit.  It was pretty cool.  Since then, I've been getting more comfortable with the suit and with open water swimming in general. 

The loop is .2 miles, and the first week I did a loop, then stopped for a minute, then did another, then stopped, etc., for 5 loops.  By the second week I did a loop, stopped, did a loop, stopped, then did 3 loops without stopping.  It usually takes the first loop for me to get my breathing calmer and my stroke smoother.  This past weekend, I did a loop, stopped for just a minute to swap out goggles (still working on finding the right pair for me!) and then started my next loop.  I felt good, so I kept going for my 3rd.  Then, as I approached the "start" area, I still felt good so I kept going.  And again.  So for this swim I did 4 straight loops, or .8mi. 

I know that doesn't sound like that big of a deal, and yes, I've swum that distance plus some in the pool many times.  But OWS has never been that comfortable for me.  I don't like wondering what I'm swimming with.  I don't like wondering when someone is going to swim into me or cross in front of me or pummel me.  And with each OWS session, I'm getting a little, teeny bit more comfortable.  That's huge. 

I actually, sort of, look forward to going to the open water swim each week now. 

I am an addict.

I had a really busy day at work today.  I was beat by the time I got home.  It was pouring rain, then just misty, then thundering, then misty, then raining, repeat, repeat, repeat.  By 3pm I knew the open water swim was cancelled, so I had to figure out what to do for my workout. 

No run -- scheduled day off (been running 5 days a week)
No OWS, so head to the pool?  No -- by the time I'd get there, I'd have to wait for lane space.  I'll do the OWS make up session on Sunday.
No outside bike -- rain is ok, thunder is not. 
No inside bike -- I just got a new tire on my bike and spent a lot of money for it.  I forgot to ask for the old tire for when I put the bike on the trainer, and I don't want to mess up the new tire. 
No yoga -- my knee is jacked up.  That's for another post.

I sat on my chunky chair and did email.  I watched Oprah.  And I got antsy. 
I felt like a slacker. 
I checked my runningahead log -- I haven't taken a complete rest day in more than two weeks, so I could take today off and it wouldn't hurt.  But I don't feel like I need a day off.  I don't want a day off.

I ran though my list of options/non-options again. They just sounded like excuses.
I fidgeted.
I thought, I have to do something! 

At 5:15 it stopped raining.  At 5:30 I took my bike outside.  The skies were clearing, and I hit the road.  Only got about 30 minutes in, and then ran into my house, stripped myself of the bike gear, changed into yoga stuff, and headed to 90 minutes of HOTHOTHOTHOT power yoga. 

I sent my sister, who had earlier given me "permission" to take the day off,  a text that let her know I was back from my bike and headed to yoga. 

I'm an addict  it said. 

Not a bad thing was her response. 

I get antsy, I get impatient.  I feel off when I don't do it. I don't spend my every waking moment running/biking/swimming/doing yoga/or any other sports, but I don't feel right when I don't do something to get my heart pumping or my breathing working in a given day.

But I suppose I could be addicted to worse things than exercise.

It Must Be My Butt.

I've had the same Bontrager saddle on my bike since I purchased it a few years ago.  It was ok, but I felt like there just had to be a more comfortable bike saddle.  I'd been fitted by a good bike store, so I figured that wasn't the problem.  I just thought maybe this was a low-end saddle that came with the bike and there had to be others that wouldn't seem to put pressure where no one wants it. 

Ok, let's get slightly specific for a minute.  Feel free to skip the post if you aren't interested in hearing about lady parts.

Huh.  Still here?  Ok. 

Here's the situation.  I don't ride in the aero position, but I don't sit entirely upright, either.  When on my bike, on the old saddle, there was uncomfortable pressure in the lady parts area.  I was constantly shifting my weight around to relieve that pressure.  Then, in my butt area, I'd often feel like my sit bones were bruised at the end of the ride.  Either I suck at biking, or my saddle sucked, or my butt isn't built for this stuff. 

So I finally did something about it.  Our newest sister store to the running store where I work is carrying a full line of bikes and bike gear.  It happens to be located on the mainland of the island where I grew up and my parents still live.  Sweet.  I took a drive down there last weekend, tried a couple different saddles, and decided on the Adamo Podium. 

Several people recommended it (thanks Maggs!), and they were right:  it's a great saddle.  The lady parts pressure does seem to be relieved.  That's a welcome improvement. 

However, my butt (the sit bones, in particular) was sore after a 16 mile ride.  So, of course, I wondered if I made the right choice with the new saddle. 

What I'm realizing it all comes down to is this:  I'm an idiot.  My butt's probably fine. 

My new saddle is a better one than my old one, and my butt just needs to get conditioned to more riding.  I didn't do much riding over the winter, and it's idiotic to think I'll be comfortable at all until I get more time in the saddle.   

So that's what I'll do.  And I'll re-evaluate my butt situation in another month or so. 

Exciting, right? 

My Garden!

Ok, so it's not really a garden -- I live in a super cute condo with a small deck, but no garden space.  So I made my own!

It's an herb garden!

Ok, so I didn't really make this, either.  I bought it from my brother's store.  But it's great!  It's my own little garden of parsley, oregano, sage, chives, rosemary, and basil.  YUM! 

I also got some color in my space -- a hanging basket of petunias.  Against the pale gray and white of the building, these flowers add a great pop of color. 

And with a few white mini mums in another pot, my deck "garden" make me happy. 

Swimming in a wetsuit is pretty cool.

Thursday evening I drove to a nearby cedar water lake with a friend from the running store to participate in the first open water swim clinic of the season.  It's hosted by a part-time store employee whose real job is to coach runners and triathletes through his ETA Coach company. 

I have anxieties about swimming in open water. I don't like to know what I'm swimming with.  I don't like when I can't see through the water.  A contradiction, I know, but it all contributes to my anxieties.  I swim comfortably in the pool.  Not so in the open water.  So I'm forcing myself to fight those anxieties by swimming at the OWS clinics on Thursday nights.

Even when it's cloudy and cool outside and the water temp is 60* like it was this week.  That's what my new wetsuit is for!  I've never swam in one, and that was nerve-racking, too, but let's just deal with all of it head on in these clinics! 

I got in the water, heart thumping a bit, but then figured, ok, let's do this.  Each person let a minute or so pass before starting their loop, and soon it was my turn.  And it only took the first loop for me to realize it wasn't that bad!  First time swimming in a wetsuit!  Turns out those things make your swim smooth and a little bit faster.  At least that's what it felt like.  Woot!

And the open water part wasn't too terrible, either.  There was a lot of muck in the lake, and a couple times I got a little freaked about something I hit, but the temperature didn't bother me -- and although I passed a couple people and a few passed me, I didn't have to tackle the hitting and fighting for position in the swim like you do in tri's -- yet.  That'll come in later clinics.   

Each loop was .2 of a mile (short!).  I did one, pulled to the side like everyone was doing to wait your turn to start your second loop, then did a second.  That one was easier.  New problem, though -- my goggles kept fogging up.  This has been happening in my pool swims, too, and I've tried several different goggles lately.  I got out of the lake, went over to the table where we had tri stuff to sell from the store, picked out a pair of kids goggles (see the cool green ones in the pic?), and got back in the water.  Did the last 3 loops without any fogging!  Yay!  My eyes are small and set close together, so the smaller goggles seemed to fit better. 

As I got out of the water after completing a mile, I was silently proud of myself.  I didn't freak out, and I swam well.  I might even be looking forward to getting back there this week and seeing if I can do better!

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Also, today is Mother's Day.  I spent some nice time with my mom at my friend's play Friday night and then we had lunch together yesterday.  And over the weekend, I got these fun cards for being a "mom" and an aunt to Roxie and my sister's boys.  :)

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there!  And to all those who act as mommies or substitute mommies for special people in their world.  Hope your day was fantastic! 

Broad Street Run 2011

I didn't have any expectations going into today's Broad Street Run, but I knew that if I was able to hold an 8:04 pace for the 7 Mile Bridge run in 85* heat, I should be able to do something close to that for a ten mile race.  I'd be ok with an 8:30 pace (but knew I'd probably run better than that), happy with an 8:15 pace, and thrilled with anything better. 

When my sister and I got to the start, and I felt how crisp and cool the temps would be for the majority of this race, I felt good about what was to come...

We had navigated getting to the start of this race very well.  It's a tricky one -- the race is a point to point, and the way most runners get to the start is to park near the finish and take the subway uptown.  This is what we did.  You have to do it REALLY early, though, or you'll get caught with thousands of other people trying to make their way there.  I've know of people who have missed the start because they waited too late.  I picked A up early -- 5:30am -- and we were parked and walking over to the train by 6ish.  The race doesn't start until 8:30, so we knew we'd have time to kill, but being relaxed and taking our time was part of making this a good day. We got on an express, grabbed some seats, and started the 20 minute ride. We even had the BEST laugh of the day when a guy near us was wearing an old Garmin Forerunner 201, and his buddy looked over at his wrist and said, totally deadpan, "What is that?  A laptop?  An iPad?"

Hilarious.  Something A and I would giggle about all.day.long.  A tv remote?  A satellite dish?  I have one of those old garmins and they are huge!  Hilarious.  

Anyway, we got lined up in the corral and soon we were off.  No crowd issues for us, and we started at a pretty good clip.  We checked ourselves, got the pace slowed a little, and commented that we were just over an 8 minute pace (though her 310 and my 305 were not reading the same distance/pace.  weird).  By mile 2 A was still coughing from her leftover respiratory sickness, and just after mile 3 she settled back a step or two from me. 

At this point, I sort of locked things in.  I was hovering around an 8 minute pace, my breathing was good, my legs were moving, and I was comfortable.  I was very aware of the crowds, the cheers, the bands along the way, but I was locked in and focused.  I didn't waste energy looking around, yet I still took it all in.  I didn't waste energy by weaving around people -- and yet I found holes to pass by people when I needed to.  I stayed to the left, ran straight, and only took a little water (on the go) at two stops the whole run. 

At one point, a guy came up next to me and commented on me running a sub-8 pace (not according to my watch, though).  He said he'd been watching me and was going to hang on since I was at a steady, solid pace.  He'd end up staying near me for several miles.  That was flattering at first, and then it became a little annoying.  I lost him a short time later.

As we approached the 5ish mile area, I knew A was still just a couple steps behind me because I could hear her coughing.  I peeked back once or twice and I threw my hand in the air another time, just to let her know I knew she was there.  I checked my pace -- still hovering around 8mpm -- and I made the turns around City Hall (the only turns on the whole run!)  Even through here, where I knew a friend would be standing, I ran good tangents and only slightly looked around.  I also knew the former mayor/governor was known to be here and I didn't even expend energy looking for him.  It wasn't that I didn't want to see these people or anything, its just that with everything working so well I was just focused.    I kept moving. 

(Thanks so much for the butt picture, A!)

The pacing on my Garmin got all screwy at this point and I had no idea what I was running anymore.  So, I decided that since I'd run this far at about an 8 min pace, I'd just keep running comfortably for a few more miles, and then after mile 7 I'd start pushing it a bit.  I even saw my friend L cheering along the way here.  As it turns out, mile 7 I dipped into a 7:25 pace, and then I held a sub-8 for the last 3 miles.  Still feeling pretty good.  Amazing what good weather does for my racing.

As I approached the 9 mile marker, my friend K pulled up alongside me, we exchanged hellos and plans for our tailgating after the race, and then he pushed slightly ahead.   I passed the spot at mile 9.5 where I've cheered friends on in the past, and I thought how cool it was that my first time running this race was turning out so well.

I entered the Naval Yard and knew I only had about a quarter mile to go.  Another friend, J, pulled alongside me here.  Funny.  So many people I know at this race!  Then, the only frustrating thing of the day:  the photographers had an arm crane hanging over the course to take pics -- fine, except the truck part was so far into the roadway we all had to weave around it to pass by.  Grr.  Alas, I flashed a smile, said, "Let's finish this!" to J, and we sped ahead to the finish line. 

1:19:25 by my Garmin.  A 7:56 average pace.  Cool!  I hadn't really thought about my finish time, but breaking 1:20 was pretty sweet!

I met up with A, who finished right behind me, and after collecting my bag and finding our friends, we made our way out of the Naval Yard to the car.  We cracked open some beers, munched on some snacks, and had a lot of fun recounting the day with 4 of our friends. 

The best way to describe my race was locked in.  The legs worked.  The weather, though it got warm toward the end, was perfect.  I felt solid.  It was a great race day.

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Other than the butt pic, I don't really have any pictures from this race, but here's one from post-race.   I think A looks waaaaaay better in this pic, but whatever -- I never take good race pics, during or after.  Sweaty, messy, gross.  But here we are anyway :)

No, we didn't plan to wear the same color.  We got LOTS of "Are you twins?" questions today.