Darn good weekend

I'm not sure what made it a darn good weekend, but it was. I just got finished with my bike ride - 40 minutes roughly 8 miles at a heart rate between 130 -160. Not bad. At least, not bad for me. I actually made the best discovery since I started training... my butt and my thighs no longer look like they are made of cottage cheese. Ok, sure, there's a still a few dimples still that need go, but for the most part, no more cottage cheese! I can wear shorts again!
I've also cleaned out my fridge. Man it was ugly. Now that it's completely empty, I'm hoping that I can start filling it with healthier things. The stuff that was in there - not so healthy. But boy did it taste really good.
I finally took down my jewelry website and put up all my photography. Finally! I've been putting it off and I just sat down and did it.

This weekend..where'd it go?

I ended up not hitting the pool this weekend. I tried my hardest, but i just couldn't get myself to do much of anything. I did go grocery shopping, but that was about it. I didn't go to the U-district street fair. I don't know why really. I guess I just needed some time to recharge. I did make it to the Rat City Roller Girls! I loved it! I'm a fan! If you don't know what the Rat City Roller Girls are... well check out their site. I tried to take some photos, but I'm not sure how they'll come out. It was pretty dark and the flash didn't work. Not to mention we were in the beer garden. What? You can't go to roller derby and not have a PBR... that's unamerican.
Sunday I tried to go for a run and just couldn't get find my pace. It was awful. I tried to "run thru it" and it just wasn't working. I ended up basically walking for about an hour. I figured it was better than just giving up and going home.
I made it to swimming yesterday and kicked butt! I'm finally swimming a proper freestyle swim and by proper I mean, my head is in the water and I'm actually not trying to hold my breath for the entire length of the pool. And I have to say it felt really good. I probably could have done a longer continuous swim but I think I just saw the wall and felt that I better stop and rest. I think once I get out in the lake I'll be fine. Now I can't wait to get in the Lake. It's a shame it's like 58 degrees or something horrible.
And some more great news for me... Brian Regan is coming to town in December. He is probably in my top 5 favorite comedians. I'm just waiting until payday to get my tickets!

New bike shoes... so pretty

So I got my brand spankin' new bike shoes. They almost look too cool for my bike. they typically sell for around $200 but thanks to ebay I got them for $50 and they fit like a glove! They're Sidis . I can't wait to get my pedals and give them a try.
I'm also getting really into nutrition. I've changed some of my bad habits. Not all... but I'm working on it. I'm also thinking about going back to school to become a nutritionist. I'm just in the research stages. I actually came across a woman who is a nutritionist down on Madison that I'll be talking to hopefully next Saturday. The funny thing is, she went to the same college that I went to back in NY! I'm hoping to get some insite into what it is she does on a daily basis. The stuff that no one tells you about.
Today I'm heading to the pool. I'm definitely starting to see a change in the way I swim. I just need to remember to slow it down. I won't sink. I'm also heading over the U-district street fair. I've never really been. I did try and sell my stuff their once. So this will be a good time for me to actually see what is being sold there. After that, it looks like I'll be heading over to Ivey to see what it'll cost to have my pictures turned into glicee prints. I'm hoping it won't cost too much. And then... the best thing of all, my friend and I are heading over to Magnusen park to watch the Rat City Roller Girls - roller derby! I can't wait to see all that. I'm bringing my camera. Hopefully I'll get some good shots.

Running like the wind

Today was the first time that I decided to run at lunch time. And it was great! I ended up running from our warehouse to Fred Meyer (as it was lunch time and I did need a little something to eat). I should have timed myself, but I didn't. I ended up running their, getting something to eat, eating and then walking back in about 50 minutes. So I must have kept a good pace. I'm going to give it another go on Friday and see if I can run there and back. And this time I'll time myself. I'm also thinking that if I really like actually doing a triathlon I might try and spend all winter training for an olympic distance tri. We'll see... But right now I'm loving training for this.

I also found a shirt that I want... so if anyone out there wants to get me a present... It's the one that says "Sports bras don't do me justice..."

sore and achy but in a good way

So I met with my trainer Dillon today. It hurts. It all hurts. But it's a good kind of hurt. Next time I'll try and remember to reserve enough energy to be able to press the clutch pedal down for the ride home and to not work the arms as much since I don't have power steering. Other than that, I've up'ed my training from 4 to 5 times a week. And I just bought a pair of kick ass cycling shoes. Now I just need to get pedals for the shoes. Gotta love ebay!

I also did the interview with Jeremy over at Triathlon Radio. He's a super cool and an awesome guy. So listen to his podcast :)

So now, I'm going to passout on the couch.

I'm in!

This morning I spent at the Triathlon 101 seminar. Which was really good. I may take a couple more clinics with Mary Meyer. She does an open water swim clinic as well as a triathlon clinic. Both of which look like they'd be extremely helpful for me. And they're reasonably priced. So you can't go wrong.
I also tried out a couple of pairs of bike shoes. Which is difficult to do when you have small feet. Almost no one cares my size. But I found a store and they were incredibly helpful. The only problem is - they're expensive. So I'm gonna see if I can find some stuff on ebay. I just can't justify spending $125 plus on shoes. And I'll still need to get new pedals too.
But on a good note, I checked the mail today to find out that 2 of my photos were accepted into the Edmonds Arts Festival in June! I can't wait! I just need to have them printed out and framed. It would be awesome if they sold too, but I'm just glad they made it into the show. You can check out the 2 photos they chose here. They're photos 6 and 10.
And that's it for today. It's beautiful out so I don't want to spend any more time than necessary inside.

Thanks Apple... I hope you rot

So I tried to bring my cracked screen ipod to the Apple store. And even though it's under warranty they can't fix it. And they basically told me that even if I sent it to Apple they won't fix it without charging me an arm and a leg because it was an "accident." And accidents aren't covered under the warranty. Then they said, next time I would buy the extended warranty. And when I asked if it would be covered if I had the extended warranty, the said no. So what's the flippin' point! So, Steve Jobs, if you're reading this... you stink! I've been using Apple products since 1990 at least. I've stood by Apple even thru thick and thin. I can't even begin to tell you the amount of money I've spent on your products. I've probably single handedly paid for your flipping mansion! The least you could do is replace my broken ipod, still under warranty, for free. For the love of god! I need to get some new pedals and shoes for my bike. That's gonna cost at least what my ipod cost!

OK, I'm done... On with the training update. So far so good. I rode on Tuesday. I kept within my target heart rate for the ride. I just need to remember that, if someone passes me, I don't need to try and pass them. Yesterday was my rest day and so is today. I've got running tomorrow, cycling on Saturday and then my swimming lesson on Sunday. And also on Saturday, the woman who I take swim lessons from Mary Meyer (actually Ed is my instructor), is giving a seminar on triathlons and what to expect. I'm super pysched about it. Unfortunately it's at REI. And there's many things there that I need... aero bars, an extra swimsuit, pedals, shoes, running sneakers, a bike rack and the list goes on...

I can never own an expensive piece of electronics

So I pull into my office, get out of my car and promptly drop my ipod nano on the gravel, thus mucking up the screen. It still works but I can't see the screen at all. It's still under waranty and I'm hoping they will just fix it. But because it was dropped, they might not. I've only had the thing since December. And before that I had a 40gig ipod that the hard drive was bad on. But because the warranty ran out right before the hard drive crapped out, they wouldn't honor the warranty. Even though, it appears Apple new about the bad hard drives. I wish I had a pc because I would not get another ipod.
Other than that, the training is going well. I finished the clean up in my studio and gave the keys to Bill and Linda. And then decided that I should go swimming. Which really helped. It was kinda sad giving the keys to them. And saying goodbye to my studio. I spent a lot of time there when I first had it. But things have changed and it's time to move forward.
Now if I could just get another ipod so that I can ride with some background noise tonight.

Oh! I totally forgot!

I'm going to be on a podcast! Jeremy over at Triathlon Radio will be interviewing me for his podcast. He's got a great podcast about triathlons and I listen to them when I'm riding or running. So I emailed him to tell him thanks for the great podcasts. He's been looking for people to interview, so I volunteered. I'll let you all know when it airs. But definitely check out his podcast.

Also, before I forget - if anyone has songs that get them amped for running or cycling, please send me a your list. I need to update the training playlist.

New clutch, training and then some

******To the ex boyfriend*********
I know I said I wouldn't talk about my ex, but, well, I know that he's checking my blog. This is a message for him - So, thanks for checking on me, but if you really want to know how I'm doing - call. I've thought about calling, but then I think, if you couldn't respond to my email, what makes me think you're going to pick up the phone. I'm not mad anymore. I just want to move on with my life. And I can't really do that with you hiding in the shadows. I need to get closure on this. And I'm assuming you do to, if you checking the blog.

And on with the blog...
So I've got a new clutch. Roughly $1000 later...It's fixed along with something that has to do with the axel (It was all explained to me, but for the life of me, I don't remember what he said... all I heard was "banana, banana, banana."). All is now well with my car. I've spent the last couple of days trying to clean out my studio. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I will miss my art studio, but i know it's a good thing to be giving up the studio. I'll be starting a new chapter in my "art life." I'm not really sure what that will be, but I'm hopefully and excited to see what it will be.
I got back into training again. I ended up doing a ton of walking while I was sans car, this last weekend. I got back on the bike, did a couple of rides to realize that the bike seat that I bought is killing me. Pardon my french, but my ass is killing me! Actually my ass bone - so I had to buy a new seat. Hopefully this one with not make my butt hurt. I went to REI to register for the Triathlon 101 seminar. And of course they were having a sale. So I was able to get my bike seat and some bike shorts all on sale. Aside for the pain in the rear, I'm really enjoying biking. It's really helped me clear my head at the end of the day. If I don't do another triathlon, I will definitely try to continue to ride.
With all the training, I'm finding that I'm really trying very hard to eat better. I still mess up from time to time. And the other day I was starting to get hungry and I don't know why but my car smelled like the best cinnamon roll ever. I'm sure it was all in my head, but man, I could have killed for a cinnamon roll.
I've also been on a couple of dates. I've met a couple of really nice guys. So we'll see what happens. I don't really know what I'm looking for. I think right now I'm just looking for someone to hang out with for the summer. Sounds kinda corny, but the summer time is always the time you want to hang out with someone and have a good time... Go for a walk around the lake, play mini golf, go to the Fremont Outdoor Movies. You know, date stuff.
And I've asked a photographer friend of mine to take some pictures of me right before the triathlon. I know I said I would try and post "before and after" photos, but I've been a bit busy lately, as you can read. I've also had my holga glued to my hands. So it's kinda hard to flip the camera - ' Specially a holga. I'm thinking I might buy another URL and post all my photos up there. Who knows. There's so much going on and not enough me to do everything.

Ok that's it for now. I'm off to eat something healthy and plan tomorrow.