tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127679462024-03-05T13:59:18.356-05:00Ko'ox tun (let's go)Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-52338473879312290292021-09-15T04:22:00.001-05:002021-09-15T04:22:40.666-05:00oh, the lessons, they don't stop, do they? IM Cozumel 2014, the DNF that would not be denied<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB7KKXEBcJgR9ALQDR67oVJPCPqjU6BR1mTq9ECG9bYbS6GRu0w2m4bm46yDo-YuzP3Z-wbbhYYfCpRqZ1M8xgqwDDigz08uBtKTaBYoDet-3DI8TTX9gjV2abweA1yFTIL4f/s1600/10827880_886158914741907_8827942594615372000_o-001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB7KKXEBcJgR9ALQDR67oVJPCPqjU6BR1mTq9ECG9bYbS6GRu0w2m4bm46yDo-YuzP3Z-wbbhYYfCpRqZ1M8xgqwDDigz08uBtKTaBYoDet-3DI8TTX9gjV2abweA1yFTIL4f/s1600/10827880_886158914741907_8827942594615372000_o-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
so in addition to my biannual brush with the revered Ruben Grande in the swim, at check in the day before Nelly Becerra Recognized ME and greeted me. Perhaps somewhere in the annals of FMTRI they have a wall dedicated to "old gringas still competing, but on the verge of collapse" but at any rate it was a thrill to be recognized by Nelly. or maybe that's not such a good thing? maybe Ruben thinks i'm stalking him (odd how i keep passing him on the way to T1) and there are posters all over FMTRI with my picture saying, "if she gets close to Ruben One More Time, RELEASE the Kraken!" who knows....<br /><br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-61565528028289118182014-12-09T11:02:00.000-06:002014-12-09T12:35:13.317-06:00IM Cozumel 2014 race report - lessons in triathlon - Swim<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybavWkrBxP1qf3EZVf-m8FLiSoGlZrE2P_JCMpqkUn18fZJCeZUU2zl3AtgVIEStKTFVk7NxbkhGro4vYU4DZhqH9LnzFUGryYzHWwffaNBQL_nJg7CEnNjwjcgjOPhoXDGPG/s1600/IMG_5825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybavWkrBxP1qf3EZVf-m8FLiSoGlZrE2P_JCMpqkUn18fZJCeZUU2zl3AtgVIEStKTFVk7NxbkhGro4vYU4DZhqH9LnzFUGryYzHWwffaNBQL_nJg7CEnNjwjcgjOPhoXDGPG/s1600/IMG_5825.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>because when you DNF you really NEED to take some lessons away from the experience. and my goals going into the thing were to see if my nutrition worked (oh mai gawds NO it did not) and see what my run was doing (jury still out on that account). so, i suppose my goals were met. but i wish i didn't need a DNF to get there.<br />
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i wanted to take a little bit of everyone with me this time, since only
Jamie came in person, so i wore Sissy's bra, one of Chris's socks she
left here and one of Michelle's and Dad's hat. so you were all here
even though you weren't. :) unfortunately once i started dressing the morning of the event i realized i'd never worn Sissy's bra swimming and suspected serious chafing as it is not a racerback, so i spur of the moment went with the trisuit for the swim. which means in T1 not only did i get nekkid, i got TOTALLY nekkid and would have to wrestle Sissy's bra on over my wet flabby skin. one of these days i'm going to plan a little better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdlW0-voyS3ATcMk4-thHOfeonSKLYDJA-Uh0PfcQe2XJs5GfmFjkB50qP_7UqYEL1vLz0MV_ESbkJhBN2QpWDZyAJFSUdfcVL_e7ttPX1Lr68OkI6LTUgqtU3sHNb8BWlqRb/s1600/IMG_5822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdlW0-voyS3ATcMk4-thHOfeonSKLYDJA-Uh0PfcQe2XJs5GfmFjkB50qP_7UqYEL1vLz0MV_ESbkJhBN2QpWDZyAJFSUdfcVL_e7ttPX1Lr68OkI6LTUgqtU3sHNb8BWlqRb/s1600/IMG_5822.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a> i decided to drop the big bucks on the
FMTRI numbers this year (might as well do EVERYTHING new) and managed to
Fuck Them Up royally. This is the GOOD calf. the other one has a U
(age group) AND a 3 and one shoulder only had 15 and the other 315. I
was a mess. i've been doing solid foods during bike rides and figured
that would be my nutrition for the bike too, so i loaded up my jersey
with what i figured i would need for the entire 180 km... cue music of
doom... <br />
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i did end up eating all the Ritz and the cookie and maybe half of teh panditas. oh, and i forgot until the 3rd lap of the bike that my electrolytes were going to be Nuun. oops. by then i thought i was Aquaman and didn't need water but that is a story for later. i also decided to use a list to pack stuff this year and promptly realized when i got to Cozumel and remembered all the stuff i'd forgotten (and texted Jamie to bring) that maybe lists weren't the way to go. 2nd lesson. So NEXT year I'm going to be So Well Prepared. The 5th is the charm, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBTUc7J0hO6y1PB-u9yfdPVCmgL-LFVLwbWKlYnQMb8iePoAMY4xZfrQhbAJXM9H8udbtLeZyZhMlxgdHsA1EMQuiR-1rpMRKiE03Kpd-7BGpoHrHqOvn1VnfvJPCLNn8xzZw/s1600/IMG_5811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBTUc7J0hO6y1PB-u9yfdPVCmgL-LFVLwbWKlYnQMb8iePoAMY4xZfrQhbAJXM9H8udbtLeZyZhMlxgdHsA1EMQuiR-1rpMRKiE03Kpd-7BGpoHrHqOvn1VnfvJPCLNn8xzZw/s1600/IMG_5811.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a> so, ONE good thing about staying in a hotel is that the taxis are SUPER easy to get and hey! the malecon was OPEN (normally we are driving ourselves and can never quite manage to get to the malecon AND hit one closed street after another trying to get to Chankanab) but, none of that stress this year, we just walked right down to the malecon and there was a LINE OF TAXIS (still hard for me to believe that after 3 years of getting to T1 stress in all previous years) WAITING FOR US! I KNOWWW!!! it was crazy making in the head. no police to try to "convince" to open the closed road, no traipsing all over town looking for an open road, Booyah! we were zipping on our way. jamie and i did our routine "kiss for eternity in the event the Kraken takes me in the swim" and off i headed in a bus to the swim start. It SURE SEEMED like we had a walk to rival the marathon from the bus drop to swim start. but we need something new every year, right? This year we got fancy dancy chanclas to wear and during this walk i figured out why (as i'd left them at the hotel). D'oh. luckily my feets are pretty tough from walking around here barefoot. one of the perks of not owning shoes, i suppose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a3ynDkTQiwaEIteYDzmEa3IAt6CFW3OeoF7V9AhtzgO4TrleMtBdactXRrRPhTNRKlP31v6wRhWmISN4DCRT_Rj7V2iSJKlZegIoYtt11c_eGYTGBUjlmdzTzQ-3U7mRjQGm/s1600/IMG_5831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a3ynDkTQiwaEIteYDzmEa3IAt6CFW3OeoF7V9AhtzgO4TrleMtBdactXRrRPhTNRKlP31v6wRhWmISN4DCRT_Rj7V2iSJKlZegIoYtt11c_eGYTGBUjlmdzTzQ-3U7mRjQGm/s1600/IMG_5831.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>i started WAAAAAAY in teh back of the womens. i'm really not sure why. i had expected, after 3 other IMs here, and in this age group, that i would be middle to back of the pack. and my swim has become slower and slower. but my drafting has been getting better. so i jumped on a pair of feet that seemed to be swimming together - a lady in my AG and another lady and swam between them, at their hips. the hip position is supposed to give the best draft so i figured between the two of them i'd be floating. but honestly, i worked the swim this year. i think this might be the first time I worked it. there were times i thought the pace was too slow and i considered looking for new feet and other times i had to work to catch back up.<br />
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i have read race reports of people checking the watches for the time so i thought i'd get all fancy and try that but i couldn't really see it well enough and almost lost my feet. so i sprinted back up and hung on. waves were starting to catch us and as they swallowed us i would mentally yell at them to Back OFF. MY feet! i had a great time drafting. at some point (i NEVER know where i am in the swim) my feet started to push the pace and it occurred to me that it was possible we were getting close to the end but since i never go to the before-race (mandatory :)) meetings i wasn't sure where we were in the swim and what the exit was like. no problem as there was a mass of swimmers i just had to follow. i was shocked to be directed to teh end - swim sure felt short, but i'm really used to going past the exit for a leg south and north again so i was really happy to just get out. i figured i was WAY at the back of my AG and pack. Turns out (after the event i found) I was 3rd in my AG (and especially since i'm the oldest in the AG i expected to be WAAAAAAYYYYY in the back of the pack).<br />
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jamie got a KILLER shot of me coming out of the water! :) Aunty Chris, please come next year! :) and again i came out of the water and passing Ruben Grande (local para athlete) on teh run to T1. so it turns out after months of not posting i have diarrhea of the fingers so i'm breaking this one up. only family is reading and i know mom likely will enjoy a longer report....Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-34522127144106273602014-12-08T10:02:00.003-06:002014-12-08T10:02:29.959-06:00pre IMCOZ 2014 - in which the norte does not defeat us<br />
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such a boring title but it was a very laid back race this year with only Jamie on course (extended family back in the US and kids not interested to come to Cozumel this year) and honestly I didn't even enter the event until 2 weeks out. i am not planning to skip over the past few months and hope to catch up on that but already it has been a week since the event and if i'm going to learn anything from it i need to get it out before i forget all of it. this, being my 4th IM distance and entering it only 2 weeks before the event, maybe i took it too lightly. i know i was much better prepared than last year (1 month post typhoid) and the year before that (norovirus) but this year I had planned a No Excuses race. i had been faster in all 3 events all year and really thought I had 13 hours in the bag. or under. under would have been GREAT.<br />
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but it turns out you actually need to TRAIN for an IM. who knew?<br />
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i went into the HIM in September lightly trained - i've been doing very well on the bike all year and had that mentally checked off all year long. even after having to take July off, even after missing out September (the month of quinceaƱeas) i felt i had the bike in the bag. and as it turns out, i did. the swim was a question but not that much of a concern since they changed the route to a float and the run...well that was a question. i have been targeting an IM at the end of January as my IM and had only 3 runs of 15km or more BUT i had taken a full minute off my average time per kilometer. and i thought that just might get me through. basically i was looking at IMCOZ to be a teaching moment an experiment in nutrition and pretty much a PR in the bag. No excuses this year. i was healthy and pretty well trained.<br />
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so race week ended up being during a norte. not such a cold one as we've had recently but i was worried that it would burn off and we'd be back to normal weather after weeks of nortes and i'd be completely not acclimated to the newly warm weather. but that didn't happen. so yay going into race day. jamie and i stayed at a hotel this time and remembered why we don't stay in hotels. :) we've gotten used to always being in a house, me having a room to go to in order to work and having a whole kitchen at our disposal. while the hotel was lovely and romantic, we both decided it is back to houses for us. i can't remember the last time we were in a hotel - has to be the last time we were in the USA, so at least 5 years ago or more. maybe we're just getting old and crotchety.<br />
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however, for a hotel, it was quite nice. we were at the top of the hotel on teh 3rd floor the first few nights and then for the last night moved to the top floor. we had amazing views and lots of wind to keep us cool at night (since jamie rivals a heater regardless of temperature in bed). we had balconies on both sides but honestly never used them. we did enjoy a TV though (since we don't have one at home) but really missed the noise of an AC as it seems we've become adjusted to white noise all night and the dogs and roosters made the first few nights of sleep, well, sorely lacking in that department. i'm not sure i can remember a worse night of sleep.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4UTLH-gU7-LzisZscKpa04avl5rxn_8XW9i0NIkIi4hsdI8cR1ccuqP6gEbU-lKud2zYnioYjHeK0orSV51KxQCR6Xo4cMxtazbPEjCpc7kw9pbwttWwUriP-GHk-r0QBqYp/s1600/IMG_5725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4UTLH-gU7-LzisZscKpa04avl5rxn_8XW9i0NIkIi4hsdI8cR1ccuqP6gEbU-lKud2zYnioYjHeK0orSV51KxQCR6Xo4cMxtazbPEjCpc7kw9pbwttWwUriP-GHk-r0QBqYp/s1600/IMG_5725.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>but, we had free breakfast (eggs, empanadas, pan dulce, fruit, horrifically awful coffee, etc.) Jamie MaGuyver'd a coffee filter from a plastic water bottle, we got filters from our car (which had been left on Cozumel in September) and with hottish water from the water dispenser we were back in coffee heaven, and at our disposal. and life was good. life was sweet. life IS coffee. but i'm getting ahead of myself.<br />
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since we had left the car (van) in Cozumel in September (even before the HIM, I KNOW!!! CRAZEEE!!!) we both took the passenger ferry over. i headed over after the girls got out of school and Jamie came over after their horse lessons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46Md5zqcOZmZ-hmL8NtVBMeuaX3a-5NjMcDUyKZBjenfvptartcgai7Gynv_C_xxe8nTUOj9RngMdo4tEA_Bz6iRcO_gyqbumP4SsPaGYw_q6bY81R9A-7gqbbHBuoD-qH6WH/s1600/IMG_5867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj46Md5zqcOZmZ-hmL8NtVBMeuaX3a-5NjMcDUyKZBjenfvptartcgai7Gynv_C_xxe8nTUOj9RngMdo4tEA_Bz6iRcO_gyqbumP4SsPaGYw_q6bY81R9A-7gqbbHBuoD-qH6WH/s1600/IMG_5867.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>i'm not sure we'll ever take the passenger ferry again. the seas were rough enough that he experienced marineros (no clue why they didn't take their own boat) spewing all over the cargo hold they were sardined into (by then the ferries must have been PACKED) and my seat mates were on their phones (to their loved ones in the event they didn't make it?) telling them about the "ferry de terror" (which i think translates in any language). once i got off the ferry i made it about a meter away from the dancing gangplank, laid down on the ground and waited. and i wasn't alone. Jamie had a similar adventure but by darkness we were both enjoying our room in the hotel and the luxury of Tee Vee.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-42497165580437732122014-07-20T11:43:00.003-05:002014-08-02T08:28:41.737-05:00i need to remember to take July off the calendar next year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i seem to remember last year was horrific for July also and I missed a crapton of training time and this year looks the same. a few weeks ago i ate something bad and had a wicked case of food poisoning. followed that with a week of head cold and coming off that am now down 2 days with a severe (for me) asthma attack. I'm very glad I bought a nebulizer though because between the neb, the albuterol and the prednisone I think I might be kicking this thing. <br />
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Your mind is a funny thing because during the days I was down hard I'd keep thinking it was all in my head and i was making it to be worse than it really was but then i'd think, well, i couldn't talk without taking a rest between words and couldn't eat without taking a rest between bites (to breathe) so I'm thinking that's maybe a sign it was a good attack. Everyday I'd wake up and think THIS is the day i get to go out and train again, but, no...and then i'd bargain, well, maybe just a swim? and then i'd get up to go to the bathroom and have to hold onto the walls for support between coughing bouts. so, nah.<br />
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but today i'm feeling much, much better and bargaining for just a short ride or just a short run... Jamie and I have been enjoying Le Tour this year and watching Eurosport and loving Lemond's coverage. Well, Jamie still tries to get the stream of Phil and Paul but I personally prefer Eurosport. I've also decided we NEED to go to Europe and bike around Spain, France, and Italy. And Portugal (but that is just a given and not based on tour coverage). So once the kiddos are off, we'll be off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaUHLDT6iuna-HD2JQ1LbUj13TWiRv-zjI6um3GF23k2RJJPNELD3kdBhoEKSTD4N1ByPkQvq9wYGsXHWHXr5in1vlEfur19_9esumBd0zThZZukT0qGp1Kf-v5L8XRWmHBaV/s1600/IMG_5208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGaUHLDT6iuna-HD2JQ1LbUj13TWiRv-zjI6um3GF23k2RJJPNELD3kdBhoEKSTD4N1ByPkQvq9wYGsXHWHXr5in1vlEfur19_9esumBd0zThZZukT0qGp1Kf-v5L8XRWmHBaV/s1600/IMG_5208.JPG" height="263" width="320" /></a>i finally signed up for Cozumel's half IM after dragging my feet all year and am looking forward to racing that one hard. unfortunately my plan to really work the swim this year has been dashed by first a shoulder injury and now the hell month of July. So not sure what will happen there. My cycling times in training have really been coming down and I'm very happy with that sport. run is still my weakest and i had wanted to chase a sub 2-minute 21k but now i'm not so sure about that either. so lots of questions for a hopeful PR.<br />
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i'm also really jonsing after the Cozumel IM. I really had written that one off but the spectators make it SUCH a fun race I'm not sure i'll be able to hold off that siren's song even though i am really planning a Caribbean island IM end January that I'm really looking forward to. only question is whether it will be just Jamie and I or the whole famdamily. Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-48726516371199279572014-06-20T11:25:00.001-05:002014-06-20T11:28:47.550-05:00run and bike and is there something missing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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one of my neighbors got a new toy and took a picture of the end of my run. i'm really going to miss the run route when we leave.<br />
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after this coming school year, Sissy will be looking at prepa and neither boy enjoyed a single day of prepa so we're thinking we might be leaving Mexico next summer. At first we thought we had to find a place to settle down but then i thought maybe we'd go back to our roots and hit the road again. the girls were so young (2 and 4 when we started) the really don't remember much. So now we're looking at options (5er, TT, toyhauler, Class C?) and seeing what is what. i'm really looking forward to cycling somewhere other than only 1 road (we have the option of either north or south there and that is the only road) and running on trails instead of sand. though, looking at the above picture, the sand doesn't look so bad. <br />
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then there is finding a place to swim. which seems to be rather a problem. i'm romantically envisioning clear creeks and lakes warm enough to swim in everywhere we go and i'll tether myself to something. i'm guessing it might not work out that way. also have to figure out internet. we used satellite last time but i'm not sure i can handle the FAP. i've begun logging my personal bandwidth usage to see what i currently use.<br />
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shoulder is starting to come along. no pain for 2 days. i think i might test the waters today and see what happens...hoping it was just bursitis.<br />
<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-75086023440770931172014-06-06T19:25:00.003-05:002014-06-06T19:25:36.445-05:00if it is Mayo it must be Tres Rios!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In May i went back to my very first triathlon - the Hacienda Tres Rios.
I've done the 1st, the 2nd and now the 4th edition and i think
it is my favorite. <br />
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Lovely beach start and great spot to hang out before the race. this was the day before and it was lovely<br />
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the weather was a little different by the next day and by the time the old ladies started... <br />
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walking to the start the morning of the event, some people came quite prepared. there must have been 10-15 people under the tarp...<br />
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again, the day before the event, the is the "sandbar run" part and start of the swim upstream..<br />
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it looks like such a nice, quiet river, no?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgTAY_oKEtAZCsCkjBfN905GALmT9leZDvS1hyphenhyphenyMzCj9iJ44P9OxY3WxKTqQByUQ4fGY0NyYo5_UQOi7oKQ55UKL1otTtC6RVAWEAp7qrN6gA0OJpp-AkTacycPNqrPnTd2M_/s1600/IMG_4950-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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the swim is always a challenge as the last 500
meters or so are against either a weak or a very strong current, up
river. oh, and that is after swimming out to sea and then running over a
sandbar. it's a fun one. the trick is to keep out of the manglar
roots in the river while trying to hug the sides (where the current
isn't quite as strong). Once again, none of the kids wanted to come
(honestly WHO would want to get up at o'dark thirty to watch an old lady
race and, as it turned out, freeze to death in a decidedly non-tropical
rain?) so jamie and i headed up solitos. <br />
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dropoff and as FMTRI has recently changed the rules for aerobars I had
to move the bars even with the brakes (in an imaginary line) so i
wouldn't get a 30 second penalty. that's not so bad but if i do another
race with this rule in place the next infraction is 2 minutes and then I
think you get a DQ your 3rd. So i didn't want to start the penalty
cascade. unfortunately at bike dropoff they said that while the bars
didn't exceed, I needed a solid bar going between the two aerobars or
I'd still get the penalty. Not to be deterred, she took my information
and then Jamie and I fashioned a "bar" by affixing a tire lever across
with bars with black electrical tape. So now it sure LOOKED like I had a
bar there and that was all FMTRI needed not to penalize me. <br />
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The day of
the event started out with grey skies and by the time we old ladies
finally started the sky was dumping cats, dogs, lizards, sharks, fish,
Everything was coming down. It was raining hard enough to make it
difficult to see once in the water but they bouys were nice and bright. however, that didn't stop teh entire wave in front of us from cutting 2 of the bouys. once i realized we were following them in cutting the course i headed back to the bouys and went around. i'm no longer looking to podium in my age category but looking to where i am overall and it was a little disappointing to see all those women in the first wave cutting a good portion of the swim course. <br />
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by the time we got on the bike the rain had leveled out to a tropical downpour and i just concentrated on staying rubber side down and not getting passed. i think i came off the bike in 7th place or so. unfortunately i was pretty discouraged wtih all the course cutting in the swim and took the run not quite as hard as i could have. i was really pleased, however, to find a 27+ minute 5K split as that means teh Isla Mujeres run was likely not short as I'd thought. AND my run is getting faster. Jamie and I hung around for the premiacion as he really wanted me to get my plaque. so we hung around, had hamburgulars and danced a bit, watched the crazy after party and won $1000 in a dental certificate prize, essentially paying me to race. So that was SWEET. i decided not to do Bacalar (5K swim) in June and have been eyeing a 1/2 marathon in Guatemala, so we'll see about that. I might just decide to not spend money in June also and do nothing. <br />
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Doesn't this look like the most fun ever?</div>
<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-24320681305806872922014-06-06T18:25:00.000-05:002014-06-06T18:25:03.433-05:00April katsup<br />
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I got out of the habit of posting and i know my mom has been waiting for
news... I'm really loving this year's racing. i'm doing an event every
month and have been having So Much Fun. In Abril we went to Isla
Mujeres for a sprint triathlon and a week of vacation for Semana Santa.
the kids got out of school early Friday as SS was starting so the girls
and I headed up to Cancun to catch the ferry over and left the boys
home as they had a cast party that night (from their Aida production).
We had a number of suitcases/duffles, the bike, boys stuff. We were
PACKED. since the boys were taking a colectivo and/or bus and we had
the van we tried to take as much as we could. <br />
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This is the end of the swim - we started somewhere way out in the brilliant blue after jumping ship. <br />
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You can see the ship in the background and i'm guessing this picture is
after we were all on board and heading out to sea. These are judges and
the organizer of the event.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVVcp6SY5HVM6ydOlza3slziZY8uQcQXKtHXbacvLQ98K-38EU8KnDQqRUjNkiCGJednB0td_7tsyjz6yN_awl0WXP8EVhdJ7TRr4f2nbIlqueQ16ERnqpbGmyn9iXDY3Oi8K/s1600/IMG_5867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTVVcp6SY5HVM6ydOlza3slziZY8uQcQXKtHXbacvLQ98K-38EU8KnDQqRUjNkiCGJednB0td_7tsyjz6yN_awl0WXP8EVhdJ7TRr4f2nbIlqueQ16ERnqpbGmyn9iXDY3Oi8K/s1600/IMG_5867.JPG" height="320" width="281" /></a>Package pickup was at the ferry terminal, making it super
nice for the Canuneses not having to spend the night on Isla but for us
that was the whole point. i had rented a luxury house for a fraction of
its usual cost as it was brand new on the market (which reminds me, i
need to post a review...). it had 4BR, 4BA, laundry, garden, terrace
and ocean view (though a block away). It was gorgeous. Once we got on
the island I tried talking the girls into walking to the house but
considering we had Little Clue where to go and it heavy luggage I
finally put the girls in a taxi and jumped on my bike behind them and
raced to the house from the ferry building. the taxista was very
considerate and waited for me when he needed to and we found the place
pretty easily. He definitely earned his tip.<br />
<br />
<br />
i had the triathlon the next day so i left the girls to
sleep in and headed off, not exactly sure where i was going as i had
missed the junta the night before and being a little clueless to begin
with. I figured the island was small enough I'd likely run into it at
some point on my bike so i just followed my nose. luckily there are
very few roads on Isla Mujeres and i really could NOT have gotten lost.
I headed south and before I knew it stumbled upon the start. YAY!
This was a really fun event. It was pirate themed and started by
swimming 50 m into a stiff current and then boarding a pirate boat.<br />
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<br />
)Who's got a white belly??? hanging out at the beach close to our house with the girls before the boys got there.)<br />
<br />
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The boat finally headed out to sea and WAITERS CAME BY AND SERVED US
DRINKS!!! and then we finally made our way to the jumping off point.
Boys jumped off to start the triathlon and like usual, the ladies were
last. anyway it was super fun and gorgeous water but weird currents. I
was hoping be one of the first ones in but once i finally figured out
where to land the swim (again, going to the junta would have been a good
idea) I was surrounded by females. After heading out on the bike i was
shocked to be told at each bike checkpoint that I was the 2nd female. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjmhNc93maZMLDZ-iGfq2bYy6dW3j98aq8euaPxWS3c45DsTQmu-z1haSWFexGgUoI6it5MSsZw9BciFB4ogKBMsbDULhf0Q0Fjuz_JYxSD_5iXPYWJI7GWJF_uLgQmkH0TGr/s1600/IMG_6223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjmhNc93maZMLDZ-iGfq2bYy6dW3j98aq8euaPxWS3c45DsTQmu-z1haSWFexGgUoI6it5MSsZw9BciFB4ogKBMsbDULhf0Q0Fjuz_JYxSD_5iXPYWJI7GWJF_uLgQmkH0TGr/s1600/IMG_6223.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>I
didn't really expect my lead to stay through the run as absolutely
everyone there was younger than me. i figured the women behind me would
likely run me down as my run is, to say the least, not my strong point
but i held on and kept watching and watching for someone to blow by me
and ended up doing 27 minutes for my run - fastest for me - and took 2nd
overall. the run was GORGEOUS as we ran down the coast the the
southernmost point and out onto the rocks and ruins before heading
back. very strangely they didn't award overall but only by category.
go figure - my only chance to win an overall placing and they didn't
award overall - just age category. the afterparty was grand with a
lovely catered buffet!!! i'd come back for this one easy peasy. <br />
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The boys showed up a few days later, Monday, and the girls
and i spent time walking and playing in the sea. i managed to get a
run and bike pretty much each and every day but could not find a good
place to swim, especially as the swimming beach, North Beach, was
absolutely STUFFED with everyone on Semana Santa holiday. i rented a
golf cart one day for the kids and they had a grand time exploring with
that. i think the best time was had with them watching TV though - my
kids are more sloths than human i think. :) Jesse brought his
girlfriend over and we didn't drive her crazy insane, so that's good,
right? <br />
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We went All Over the island looking for a great beach and ended
going to the one we could walk to from our house. it was beautiful and
had great waves for the kids to bodysurf without getting dragged out to
sea but the undertow. Poor Alejandra (jesse's gf) as she is from DF, a
landlocked city in a landlocked state, and likely never has been in
waves before. i think he FINALLY clued in towards the end that she was a
little uncomfortable and they hung out on the beach while the rest of
the crew bodysurfed. i'm thinking we'll have to go back, maybe summer
time... though there is a 15k run there in august... maybe jamie and i will pop over there for a nice weekend...Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-21159878002739769432014-03-23T12:21:00.000-06:002014-03-23T12:21:30.968-06:00heavenly holbox<br />
So it is a week later and we're still gushing about Holbox.
It ended up being a girls' weekend as Jamie took sick. We took what we
thought was the longer way - up via Cancun - but it ended up being 30
minutes shorter than the "short" way via Coba, and that was with a road
washout. Course, here, 30 minutes is a sneeze. We stopped at Costco
for a coffee stockup on the way out (and to get cheap hotdogs for the
girls for lunner) and to break up the drive a bit. The ferry over to
Holbox was a bit of a sticker shock (even with the race discount of $90
each way) and cost more than the 1 hotel room for a night. That said,
I'd come back in a heartbeat. <br />
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We really only scratched the surface by hitting the beach all 3 days (arrival, race day and day after race day) and renting bikes ($15/hr - super cheap compared to a golf cart at $120/hr) to see more of the island. The last day I actually was so comfortable there that I let the youngest two rent bikes and toodle around while I went for a run. Speaking of the run, it was a bit short (9.7km by Google Earth) and I still PRd even with the extra tacked on (with assumption of same average pace). I think it came out to 53:45 or so for the full 10K and the 9.7 was 52:22. I was over the moon with that. I guess consistent slow running is working finally.<br />
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It was amazingly beautiful there and I would LOVE to dump our Isla Mujeres plan for Semana Santa and go back, but that is my first triathlon of the season, we've never been to Mujeres, and if nothing else, the ferry to Mujeres is about 1/2 the price of Holbox's. ;) I have been awful with training lately and finally downed some way-expired parasite meds to see if that will cure the stomach woes. Honestly, we should have been doing the every-6-month prophylaxis all along but details... Finally got out on the bike yesterday and had a GREAT ride - great power and managed to brick a run. So getting back into the swing with a couple weeks left for Mujeres.<br />
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Not sure what I'll do in May as the PLL is just too expensive but I'll find something. I'm really liking having the opportunity to race so much more - gives me something to look forward to every month.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-23143928743575037002014-03-16T06:23:00.003-06:002014-03-16T06:23:47.059-06:00Changes in attitudes...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4tYf_uF8i_wHLiH0un071CPqdkYNvsVdvwBpj0nt5CVMSGe_8QOo9s5wwYwZtB_7uZ-p2_vkpEUpwf-0tn7H1hOybKr4KLPF1DySboS35WqOZv6ommY_CQSTf4SBtWyiXD-Q/s1600/IMG_4402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4tYf_uF8i_wHLiH0un071CPqdkYNvsVdvwBpj0nt5CVMSGe_8QOo9s5wwYwZtB_7uZ-p2_vkpEUpwf-0tn7H1hOybKr4KLPF1DySboS35WqOZv6ommY_CQSTf4SBtWyiXD-Q/s1600/IMG_4402.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I'm pretty much decided not to do the PLL (Cancun to Isla swim). I was sick during the week that the rate went up and not only lost a week of training (that according to real swimmers I REALLY needed as I'm woefully light on 10K swim training) but lost the "cheaper" rate. Honestly the cheaper rate wasn't that good anyway. Then Jamie got the bug and it drove him finally to Dr. Simi who prescribed abx and Flagyl (hoping, I assume, to cover both bases). So he is at home this weekend while the girls (and their friend) and I headed to Isla Holbox. <br />
<br />
I have read a decent amount about Holbox and it has intrigued me but it is a little far and we just never got around to it. When the local running event company changed their line up this year and dumped all but 1 of their normal routes and added in Holbox, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me. I think I was the first one signed up. :) It has turned out to be an incredibly expensive trip though, so now I'm thinking I know why not too many people come here. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4MfZ3zyijQgZMuuDAvXwWoe5ZrWKsCQo8kBdi_zxt3BVBFgEFS9Qa6eyuAuFGDAjSyeZwiUC74FaA0P4vVMTK8t9rl-V0iR2M5f39L-BnZ-zLF1MctByiHixTlKqLZl52nIh/s1600/IMG_4423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4MfZ3zyijQgZMuuDAvXwWoe5ZrWKsCQo8kBdi_zxt3BVBFgEFS9Qa6eyuAuFGDAjSyeZwiUC74FaA0P4vVMTK8t9rl-V0iR2M5f39L-BnZ-zLF1MctByiHixTlKqLZl52nIh/s1600/IMG_4423.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I had planned to work in the car the entire drive but when Jamie bowed out I was left as the sole driver and work was out of the question. I have been trying to work a little less and be present for more family stuff but it is a very hard line to walk knowing if I can work more there is more breathing room financially and it has been a heavy year so far with our immigration renewals and school yearly inscription costs...but I'm trying and being forced into not being able to work (so far) this weekend has really been lovely. We sang and talked a lot of the way up here and work has not intruded yet on the girls' fun. So there is that.<br />
<br />
Now I suppose I have a run to do (the excuse that brought us here) so I should do that. And the girls are going to want breakfast afterwards - they already gave me the menu last night. :) I'm really glad I didn't sign them up for the race though as last night they decided they wanted to sleep in (and this was after sleeping a lot of the way in the car. I'm loving the idea of absolutely no concrete anywhere today for the run...now to see if the mozzies are going to carry me away...<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-70864448475459816592014-03-03T09:45:00.001-06:002014-03-03T09:49:07.196-06:00heading over to the dark side<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in August of last year I visited with my sister who is a huge Paleo nut. Well, I think she is but I think maybe she's actually vegetarian. But I could swear she was eating meat also so it's a bit confusing. Anyway, she dropped a TON of weight (except her chest - who loses weight everywhere but their breasts??? Since I have dropped weight I rival prepubescent boys in the chest area but actually, I'm very happy with that - makes running so much more comfortable...) and looks GREAT (see, I did finish the sentence!). Pictures above and below are calm day versus chop.<br />
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Throughout my life I have had diarrhea, constant stomach issues and eczema. Around the time I turned 50 I removed dairy from my diet and the diarrhea and most stomach issues and eczema went away and life was good. But I developed asthma and I still had occasional stomach issues and then began to develop itching from peanuts and one time anaphylaxis from peanuts and mangoes and had my entire face swell from mangoes. So I took those off the menu. About killed me to take off mangoes, especially in April when seasons starts. Just might have to try them again this year to make sure... and then last week I started itching with walnuts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uhBYrpsu83cKgS75hFqLW9IrXv25j-QNjNlDYeolM7Dsnk-w4x95aRyuz0CdJdAejEnnFfUOx-VgB5Sd8ftg-gTQ75Jl4Y0-TGoBam-Kpc3hPmcH1DczGXfzTItwRNLYsTHd/s1600/IMG_4276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uhBYrpsu83cKgS75hFqLW9IrXv25j-QNjNlDYeolM7Dsnk-w4x95aRyuz0CdJdAejEnnFfUOx-VgB5Sd8ftg-gTQ75Jl4Y0-TGoBam-Kpc3hPmcH1DczGXfzTItwRNLYsTHd/s1600/IMG_4276.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>This is really starting to piss me off and I started looking around the interwebs to try and self diagnose (because why trust a doctor when Google is free and so much easier, right?) and found some information that asthma can be influenced by grains and magnesium. (which reminds me to find the mag I had Jamie buy eons ago though I likely chucked it) So I am experimenting with no grains or sugars and lots and lots and lots more veggies and protein. Kinda like Paleo. It doesn't hurt that there are huge weight loss claims with dumping grains and sugar and after being sick for a week and not one moment of swim, bike or run, I've gained weight.<br />
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Who gains weight with a stomach illness? That would be me. UGH! The entire famdamily has been under the weather with a very mysterious bug. If it were just our family I'd be skeptical of typhoid or amoebas or something in the food but other families at the same schools have the same bug. Girls were out of school all week. I did Sunday and Monday's workouts and then sat out the rest of the week hoping that the rest would allow me to compete at yesterday's time trial, which, in retrospect was a HUGE waste as I'm now feeling even WORSE, GAINED FUCKING WEIGHT, and am STILL missing the time trial. We waited until the last minute - entered a week before the event and BAM both us of down for the count with buggy tummies.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhndhtTEIrvTV_92ClTWR5OK4JQA46dumwawAfDmN5i9DsPdDX_oV1vWMFVeJ6s3bH-_EgAq6NGTMzd7bkFJEAassyvPB2SR6vM1aC7b0czMdvbBd7jzIIxRq5qnFIXbrEOhTY/s1600/IMG_4304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhndhtTEIrvTV_92ClTWR5OK4JQA46dumwawAfDmN5i9DsPdDX_oV1vWMFVeJ6s3bH-_EgAq6NGTMzd7bkFJEAassyvPB2SR6vM1aC7b0czMdvbBd7jzIIxRq5qnFIXbrEOhTY/s1600/IMG_4304.JPG" height="255" width="320" /></a>(LOVE this picture of the guys in the 2.5k swim awards) <br />
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So there's that. Dunno why missing that time trial bugs me so much but Jamie is right pissed also. I think it was the expectation of winning money. We HATE missing out in winning money as it is such a novel concept and SWEET to boot. So far I'm just 2 days into the no sugar-no grain diet and trying to figure out how to get in my maca root without Coach's Oats... I'm going to try this for a month and then see what happens with mangoes and see if I can drop the Pulmicort and if not, I think I'll keep this diet and just add Coach's Oats daily as my only grain. Love that stuff and now even Jesse is hooked on it.<br />
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I missed the lower price on the Cancun 10K swim and now have to figure out if I really want to shell out the increased price for that swim. Especially since I have not been near water (or out of the palapa) for a week. I'll make the big break today as I need to pick up immigration card so that will break my isolation and I might as well start training again. Why does it feel so futile when you've been out of sport long? Feels like I've lost so much fitness I may as well not bother. Hmmm...might need some endorphins...Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-5424783479593448612014-02-25T08:47:00.000-06:002014-03-02T09:02:32.726-06:00just keep swimming...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the risk of grossing out those highly sensitive, i just have to give a shout out to my neighbor who, quite a while ago, so this is belated, gifted us with a BEVVY of lingerie. Used. I now have more underwear than I need - for the first time in a Very Long Time. I usually get 3-4 pair (always the same since type) new a year and for some reason (sun?) they take a beating down here. To have such a quantity of different styles is such a luxury I notice it each and every time I put on a pair. It has been a few months now and it is still a wonder and amazement every morning when I look with glee at the treasure I get to choose from.<br />
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These past few months (and I can't imagine it is related to the underwear so there is a prime example of correlation does not equal causation) there have been a LOT of walkers on the jungle path I run on. It is wonderful to see so many more people taking control of their health. I love seeing all them out there. But the other morning I was doing my 90 min run, which is 3 laps of the path and a little more thrown in, and on lap number 2 came along an unnerving cheerleader. It wasn't so much What she said but the Way I took it - "GREAAAT job!" that immediately made me think she was encouraging her 100 yo grandma in taking her first step out of the hospital bed. I know I have a distorted view of my "youth" and my "run" likely puts Newton's first law to great stress but I have always thought I was doing okay out there. I did render her pretty speechless when I was coming back around for my 3rd (to her it would have been 2nd) lap, so there is that...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAy3mpZqjvqF-OIJGVRVOAGpBCp5KA98NQE945V2WbrXunTuGfNfLEUDOKe3C75FSD_KYwMhDubaWIMzdsEZy5_64tWjuucvx9viOqAR9c19rzRRpHZrRH6DWGMoqF1-SoIw14/s1600/IMG_4297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAy3mpZqjvqF-OIJGVRVOAGpBCp5KA98NQE945V2WbrXunTuGfNfLEUDOKe3C75FSD_KYwMhDubaWIMzdsEZy5_64tWjuucvx9viOqAR9c19rzRRpHZrRH6DWGMoqF1-SoIw14/s1600/IMG_4297.JPG" height="190" width="320" /></a>I've been event-crazy this year and signing up for at least 1 event a month. This month I decided on the Puerto Morelos open water 1.25, 5 and 10 K swim. I found it ranked number 49 (IIRC) on the world's top 100 swims so that was a huge selling point right there. The fact that there would be no travel or hotel costs was another AND when I finally made it to the event I was able to get swimming federation signup at a fraction of the cost so really, I was SAVING money by doing the event. Right?<br />
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At any rate, I have a longer goal of a 10K swim from Cancun to Isla Mujeres in May and wanted to see how bad this 5K would feel. I had an absolutely AWFUL 5K last year in Bacalar and was curious about the increased swimming (albeit limited according to Slowtwitch standards) I've been doing over the past few months and what effect it might have on my swim. I was pretty worried beforehand as the seas down here (70km away or so?) were pretty rough and I was not looking forward to 3+ hours trying not to drown and seriously considered trying to downgrade to the 2.5K. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUX6G92AnO0x0qTyybdN8lK7d5c63Jwm8riU7dYFUZZMlfOmiszQXW1nsPYMzt4BDaNQBbZ268LXf36sb5Dl8iZeAa3Nh75oUnM-9H1Tq_WW-VL_Neuj2Lder1bi63tnNskSt-/s1600/IMG_4301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUX6G92AnO0x0qTyybdN8lK7d5c63Jwm8riU7dYFUZZMlfOmiszQXW1nsPYMzt4BDaNQBbZ268LXf36sb5Dl8iZeAa3Nh75oUnM-9H1Tq_WW-VL_Neuj2Lder1bi63tnNskSt-/s1600/IMG_4301.JPG" height="181" width="320" /></a>The <a href="http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=4972079" target="_blank">Slowtwitch guys</a> pretty much had me convinced I was a fool to even consider the swim. So it was with very little confidence that Jamie and I headed out into the dawn. We had a secondary goal of hitting Costco after the event, so if nothing else we'd get that done, and with the 45km time trial the weekend after we were planning to recon the course after<br />
I finished swimming. So really, the swim was just going to be a warmup. <br />
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I was so impressed with the event staff. I was able to do package pickup just before the event AND paid a year of federation fees at about half off, so if I do the 10K and Bacalar this year I'm already paid for those. Otherwise I made I nice donation. They ran the 10K swimmers first and then the kids. They had kids doing 250m, 1k and maybe other distances. We were a little ways down from the start and didn't really listen well but I was really impressed with the organization. They were even running awards to the kids and earlier events while we 5K'ers and 10K'ers finished up our swims. This was their 9th event and pretty popular. There were kids from all over the country here and it also seems that this is a selection event for the national open water 5K team, so super popular. <br />
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All in all, I was very, very happy with my swim. The seas were reasonable, I felt super fast (though I wasn't) and strong through about the first 3 laps (3.75k) but got rather lost on the backside of lap 3 and ended up going back along the course. I made the rookie mistake of following a guy who went back along the course and it took the kayakers a bit to get us sorted back to the course. Yes, it is possible to get lost on a circular course; actually, I think it was more of a diamond shape. <br />
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We had a good current against us at the far point to the point where you seriously wondered if you were making progress. Luckily, even though we were the furthest out to sea at that point the sea bottom was the most shallow, so you could see your progress very well. Actually, the whole course had excellent visibility (the norm for here) but surprising to me as rough water here usually results in murky water. I had one monster leg cramp and thought I'd have to abandon along the beginning of the 4th (last) lap as I was totally unable to swim. Luckily one of the guys swimming behind me told me to grab a buoy (doh) and I was able to use it to stretch the leg out. I was really happy with how good I felt considering my last 5K and while I was tired at the finish I definitely had more in me and the top 3 in my age group all finished within 5 minutes of each other. That massive cramp, however, was likely a good indicator that I had reached my fitness limit so I now need to buckle down and train if I'm going to do double the distance. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7rFIjb2LGoMl7-gH3972cbjo3U4LJ3MxYqGVmI-PrmV0LOdReUdK50DcnwqAjwX-5O5ELNiKtRHzDrnE9Dfau08urq7alqDPdxOhYNWyZanpV9JrfZ7qr-Exvq6ouqUYU2S5/s1600/IMG_4316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7rFIjb2LGoMl7-gH3972cbjo3U4LJ3MxYqGVmI-PrmV0LOdReUdK50DcnwqAjwX-5O5ELNiKtRHzDrnE9Dfau08urq7alqDPdxOhYNWyZanpV9JrfZ7qr-Exvq6ouqUYU2S5/s1600/IMG_4316.JPG" height="185" width="320" /></a><br />
I snagged 3rd and a nice plaque and while I'm rather disappointed with my time, I'm very happy with how good I felt during the swim and how strong I felt throughout the swim, especially in comparison to Bacalar last year. <br />
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Next week we have the 45km time trial so after stuffing my face Jamie and I headed to T1 to change and head out for a 50km bike ride and recon the route. Wicked winds very different from last year but we're still hoping all the TSS training we've been doing will allow us to podium again this year. Jamie wants to take the entire road division (they split the prizes between road and tri bikes) and he just might do it. I'm really looking forward (and with dread as this event is a KILLER) to see if I can better my time from last year and kick some more young ass. I'll likely be the oldest one there again and I LOVE beating ladies much younger than I. Nice to bring home some change too. I know it is going to hurt so much though and there lies the dread. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBdt6H1xq8ztZU2z512FdPye9B1CSRrQjhampdDwittdFU3BvA-MhrB_VP7wM7E6elxruiidn8mvtyKSvYHU_c3ukADAvJz3trwdeA9j0NHhw-0rKVsr5m0LS2C5ozMMcbTDP/s1600/IMG_4318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBdt6H1xq8ztZU2z512FdPye9B1CSRrQjhampdDwittdFU3BvA-MhrB_VP7wM7E6elxruiidn8mvtyKSvYHU_c3ukADAvJz3trwdeA9j0NHhw-0rKVsr5m0LS2C5ozMMcbTDP/s1600/IMG_4318.JPG" height="223" width="320" /></a>Not sure what else I have in store this month - I think we're going to Holbox for a run mid month and while I have no aspirations for my 10K (other than to break an hour again), I'm REALLY looking forward to visiting the island. It will be a long weekend for the kids (school) but since the boys are deep into practice for Aida, they'll be staying at home, taking advantage for dress rehearsals at Xcaret.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-1272697039985371442014-02-08T11:21:00.004-06:002014-02-08T11:21:39.671-06:00new kicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So back a few days after IMCOZ Jamie and I headed out on a ride and my derailleur completely fell off the frame (along with a piece of the frame) and lodged itself in my spokes. Looking back I'm shocked I didn't crash as I had to carry the bike home, in the air, wheel unable to spin. So Jamie made me a fixie and I had one gear. which sometimes decided to change. all by itself. and sometimes the chain would fall off but it was good and i could at least train. but my knees were getting beat up in headwinds when i'd be pushing too high a gear for the conditions. so we began to look for a new bike.<br />
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i originally thought i could get away with paying only $500 USD but we soon came to the realization that living where we do and being unable to rely on the post and get spare parts at a decent price (a big requirement when you're building your bike piecemeal) it just wasn't going to happen. So we needed a fully functional bike, frame+components+wheels. And figured we'd be spending some money. I was able to find a guy selling bikes that had been used for triathlon rentals though and got a sweet deal on a normally $4KUSD bike for less than half that cost. Course once I added up the customs fees and import and transport here, it became closer to half that cost. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyI7ApaqLYjM2IvlfKDX5UMVPATkSp6Yb5R_ioWOqANZJSV9k6YGIKKTS8LzktRH68UL-L2XnIh2mO9GWYQRBx5Qh0Vm_R7fGox5VGy8wtI0t79cKjlnvRQIX53-rz6DHBWtzw/s1600/IMG_4075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyI7ApaqLYjM2IvlfKDX5UMVPATkSp6Yb5R_ioWOqANZJSV9k6YGIKKTS8LzktRH68UL-L2XnIh2mO9GWYQRBx5Qh0Vm_R7fGox5VGy8wtI0t79cKjlnvRQIX53-rz6DHBWtzw/s1600/IMG_4075.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
I decided to go with our standby Merkalink, to import the bike as you just never know what is going to happen if you use USPS (who then hands over to MexPost at the border). I've read amazing accounts from folks in Cancun who regularly receive their stuff but I wasn't going to take the chance with this bike as I have yet to receive packages from 2 years ago and had 13 month delivery for 2 books once way back when I trusted MexPost. For some reason teh bike gained about 25 pounds (listed at 25 pounds when it left the sender and listed at 39KG at Merkalink) and they would not budge from that obvious fraud. It killed me to pay those charges but TIM. Maybe their extortion fees have gone up recently. Who knows. At least they're getting stuff though. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKw_xC3aVmwnnYAbw6hvWhvt2sWZF5qJherOep47g6AlY2SBWev5OEV5nm4GpDMZ9PPg0SoqeB731w8PVKHw45yN6dqL4qWvEyuMePYnmnNFZpvAM0oqlNfb-l4b4EcInFQSD/s1600/IMG_4064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKw_xC3aVmwnnYAbw6hvWhvt2sWZF5qJherOep47g6AlY2SBWev5OEV5nm4GpDMZ9PPg0SoqeB731w8PVKHw45yN6dqL4qWvEyuMePYnmnNFZpvAM0oqlNfb-l4b4EcInFQSD/s1600/IMG_4064.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>So off to the bank Jamie went, paid the fees, I emailed the comprobante to them and it was a pretty short (2 days) time in Aduana before heading down here. It must have been a very tiring trip though as the bike sat in the Playa distribution center (15 km from our house) from Saturday until Thursday when I finally had enough and Jamie headed to Estafeta after picking the kids up from school for "delivery". Amazingly, the bike was, at that very moment on the truck and being delivered. Who wudda thunk? Unfortunately there was some damage either from transit or poor packaging. One piece can be replaced (the seat mast) and the seller has offered to send me a new one and the other we're hoping is just cosmetic.<br />
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Jamie is putting the finishing touches on teh bike and off we'll head today and try it out. We have a norte back in town so I've got 3k swim on my list along with that 60k ride and a 5k run. That should clear out the doldrums...Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-20435222054146857992014-02-06T10:06:00.000-06:002014-02-08T10:08:29.889-06:00dancing to La Migra<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbf2nmahRLbSZ_WGBI0dAfrw_xeNtw90IqVu2lpl04kkoAYOFILNNxNkvuUTuqHssbRr2v4fj4nnVoqX_HW9BpgUqSNYdubhCczSdxJPACFIyEXEkefObeIOMooc9c0dPmU0L/s1600/IMG_4039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbf2nmahRLbSZ_WGBI0dAfrw_xeNtw90IqVu2lpl04kkoAYOFILNNxNkvuUTuqHssbRr2v4fj4nnVoqX_HW9BpgUqSNYdubhCczSdxJPACFIyEXEkefObeIOMooc9c0dPmU0L/s1600/IMG_4039.JPG" height="320" width="311" /></a>It's that time of year when we dance to La Migra. We had thoughts that we could achieve permanent cards but we were told that (even though the law states otherwise) PdC would only give permanente for 3 years on an FM3 and were ignoring the 3 other ways to qualify and would not take old FM3s as proof of time here. Maybe if we'd talked to a different person, but whatever. Since Pike is going back to the Huenited States in the summer he's going to bus it to Belize, hand in his FM3 and come in on a tourist visa. He's really looking forward to the trip - it will give him a bit of the taste of what is involved in travel (which he wants to do after working this summer). Jesse is going to stay here for another year of music school (not that him being totally twitterpated has anything to do with that decision) so next year we will likely have only 3 kids in the house. Weird.<br />
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Pike convinced us to let him drop out of school after Xmas break and has filled his days volunteering at Ellen's school and practicing for El Playarte's production of AIDA. He started a few months behind the other kids so he is scrambling to memorize lines (in Spanish, natch) and the dance steps. I'm not sure what happened to my kid who froze at new things and was so very easily overwhelmed but I'm enjoying seeing him jump into new things without a second glance backwards. It seemed to come about so suddenly, however, that it is a bit unnerving though it is lovely to see your kids flower.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplF7ZNtPd9dbXSiqv0C3BPgE8eroxCJ8mexhz32oRVJ2lsCQDScBpzZTQDuQD5-h7loqyEqxluKN5DUmijo5Ik76b5Q9o04n-qzwZZGPOjQqrWBkAVPR0yuAMg8ksn2KFkKjQ/s1600/IMG_4040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplF7ZNtPd9dbXSiqv0C3BPgE8eroxCJ8mexhz32oRVJ2lsCQDScBpzZTQDuQD5-h7loqyEqxluKN5DUmijo5Ik76b5Q9o04n-qzwZZGPOjQqrWBkAVPR0yuAMg8ksn2KFkKjQ/s1600/IMG_4040.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I spent about a week trying to enter the Holbox 10k. Not because I'm dying so much to have a registered 10K but we've never been to Holbox and I already have 2 rooms reserved (we'll take one of Ellen's friends) but after sending Jesse to inscribe me on various attempts (the inscribing place is down in the tourist part of town, where he and his girlfriend spend many evenings) I was still without inscription. Finally, on Constitution Day I was able to get myself down there. I had to pass through the plaza to get there and listened to a pretty good speech while on my way. Nice job Playa. Finally I get to the store, entreat the guys working there to do their job and they offer me a licuado at 1/2 price with the inscripcion. Okay, works for me - I'll give it to Jamie as thank you for schlepping me around (first to INM so I could make an appointment to get MY card). It was a very pretty licuado (carrot, beet and apple) but like most things here, it was surprisingly NOT sweet. I'm sure it was really good for me so I drank it like a good girl but man, that licuado needed something other that pretty color to actually make me want to buy one. Jamie was so NOT impressed he refused to drink it.<br />
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It was super pretty though...<br />
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My new bike has been taking a week-long vacation at Estafeta in Playa. I know Monday was a holiday but GEEZ. Jamie might be trying to get some movement going tomorrow over there. Sometimes "delivery" here means you drive 15 km to town, find the office, load your package up in your car and deliver it to your home. Between not wanting to miss the "delivery" from Estafeta and horrific weather (normal winds instead of wave-calming norte winds) I've put in only 1 swim all week. Ugh. However, bike is on track and running way on track. Back to 30-60-90 this week. I like hitting 5 hours of running/week this early in the season. Makes me think I've got legs "in the bank".Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-61726470720405282352014-02-02T22:16:00.002-06:002014-02-02T22:16:27.440-06:00frente frios and the return of warm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am having so much fun putting together races and little getaways. Triathlon is really becoming more normal and common and every year a new race pops up. We started the year with Merida's spring tri this weekend but for a first year race, they had quite a hefty price tag ($1200) that didn't even tempt me. I still need to inscribe to Holbox and get lodging for Isla, but for now March and April are set. We spent December and January with one frente frio after another. Made for great swimming (calm seas) but frozen cycling. I wore tights more in January than I think I ever have all winter here. Yesterday heat was turned back on and today we had a great ride to Tulum. <br />
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I've been swimming more and more this "off" season and have introduced 1-arm fly pretty consistently. The other day I figured I was ready for full butterfly and did 5 (gasp) strokes. then 10. then 5 again. The next day I did 10 and then 10 again. such a swelled head from that effort I had no chance of drowning. Yesterday I woke with such a sharp pain in my upper back I could barely move. Apparently when you're old, butterfly is not a sport to spring upon yourself quickly. Today I can take full breaths without pain but a deep breath gives a sharp stab of pain and a sneeze is agony.<br />
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I am becoming much more comfortable in the water - i'm zoning out and not really worried about the sea life anymore. i still envision them out there and occasionally get twitchy but i'm enjoying swimming again and taking aim at 10k a week. course now that the heat got turned on, the seas are boiling and lousy for swimming. Above are the "ugly" seas down in Tulum from today's ride. pretty to look at but really lousy for swimming. We went out to the hotel zone to meet up with a friend of mine from long, long ago who is in town for her yearly yoga trip.<br />
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Below is the road out to the HZ of Tulum</div>
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Jamie and I out on the road today</div>
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Jamie and I along the Tulum HZ road. </div>
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Another fracking flat. Man gets SO many flats it isn't funny...</div>
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-12788444150323042092014-01-18T10:08:00.001-06:002014-01-18T10:11:49.134-06:00old dog, new tricks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple days after IMCOZ Jamie and I headed out for a ride. Since I took this IM so slow and ran so little my body felt pretty fresh the days after and I really didn't wait much at all before jumping back into the swing of things. add to that the fact that this is really NOT the off season down here and I had taken off so much time during the "season", I was pretty fresh. Unfortunately the old bike (we're thinking we got it in 1995 or so) had a frame-attack and the derailleur committed suicide and I walked home, carrying my bike in the air (as the back wheel was unmovable).<br />
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Jamie, god-mechanic that he is, managed to convert the bike to a fixed-gear bike after a disastrous attempt at riding one of his castoffs had me choosing between brakes or sitting on the seat. If I wanted to look behind me, shift gears, hit the brakes, I had to get off the seat to do so. Made for a miserable (and not very safe) ride. So I now have a bike to ride again, albeit with only 1 gear. I figured we'd go with that until he went back to the US to visit his grandmother but kept my eye on the Slowtwitch classifieds and had the stroke of luck to find a bike that we hope will fit me. It is bumblebee color and a triathlon bike. That's honestly about all I know about it. Jamie has the specs.<br />
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It is supposedly in incredible condition, a 2011 with 100 miles on it, and looks new. I'm hoping that is no exaggeration as Merkalink is not going to bring me a bike that isn't new. The bike shop shipped it out yesterday (or the day before?) and I'm thinking it might get to Texas middle next week, then about another week for them to import and me to go to the bank and pay, and then another week to get the bike. Should be an exciting time. I just hope the bike fits and isn't too uncomfortable.<br />
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We've been talking a lot about moving somewhere, even to Cozumel for a year, as we all have rather itchy feet right now except Jesse. I've also made (in retrospect) a New Year's resolution to do *something* monthly. We're rotting here, doing the same old, same old and it is time to shake things up. I'm not sure what this month is and I don't have much time to figure it out. :) I'm kind of scheduling things around events and so far all I have is a 10K tomorrow and a 10K in March. I think the kids have a vacation day early February so I am going to have to figure out what we'll do then.<br />
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In March, <a href="http://www.airelibre.mx/" target="_blank">Aire-Libre</a> is having a 10K on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isla_Holbox" target="_blank">Holbox</a> Island. That is just Too Good to pass up so we're going there. I need to find a place for us to stay and figure out who all will be going as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/explayarte.escuelademusica" target="_blank">Explayarte</a> is having their first performance of AIDA the next weekend so likely the boys (Jesse in the band and Pike performing - YES! my baybeee will be performing!) will stay here and just the girls and Jamie and I will head to Holbox sans doggie (so many more housing opportunities!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBGpEncLtrAS5wDdHYCeOR2xqjeM2sHkHMDTKcUgF3UmBok5yOeo0On1nw02o4fkn-mdpUnMP7mnT5JlS15JMhJmaHUgXTjkDE-uQ73RewbiHg-m3F148Gq75pD7B4688UMV7/s1600/IMG_3768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBGpEncLtrAS5wDdHYCeOR2xqjeM2sHkHMDTKcUgF3UmBok5yOeo0On1nw02o4fkn-mdpUnMP7mnT5JlS15JMhJmaHUgXTjkDE-uQ73RewbiHg-m3F148Gq75pD7B4688UMV7/s1600/IMG_3768.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a>Also end-March Ellen is going to Guadalajara for the pentathlon competition and while the school is discouraging parental involvement, I'm loathe to let my baybeee go all alone. I found a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1435824643302998/?fref=ts" target="_blank">trail run</a> up there during the time she's up there and very seriously considered it. I'm still on the fence but starting to think that I won't go. We'll see.<br />
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Lastly, we're thinking about going to Neenah for the (short) summer to hang out with Maca and also to get some of this moss off our bodies. Still unsure about that but maybe I would do a triathlon up there if we should. I'm almost certain I won't be doing IMCOZ this year. The $ is just too much and it leaves me open to do other stuff I want to do but can't because of IMCOZ like the DF marathon, Xel-Ha, and the jazz festival. pictures are the girls riding bareback at a party (their favorite) and my steadfast run companion.<br />
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We've had some lovely calm days (norte) lately and I need to get off my butt and into the water. Jamie wants to ride to Tulum today so I need to shuck off the down jacket, swim and then head out on teh bike...Just checked the status of the new bike - it is in Indiana. Hmmm... that's an odd route to Mexico/Texas...Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-21422800322907850652013-12-09T23:38:00.003-06:002013-12-10T15:35:12.190-06:00sponsored by the Duct Tape Advisory Council (aka IMCOZ 2013)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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me and my ole man keeping it SFW. look at my nephew in the background looking for a hole to crawl into...<br />
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I know most real triathletes (or those who put at least enough attention to remember to add socks (when they wear them) to their run bag and really... not even one sentence into the post and I'm off and tangent running, but hey, its free...how hard should it be to remember SOCKS? I'm guessing most real triathletes have lists and what not, but I fly by the seat of my (scorched) pants) put a little more time and effort and thought (yes! finishing that sentence now!) into race planning but this year I was The Most Apathetic ever. I just couldn't get my head into the game. I forgot my swim cap and left socks out of my run bag. I McGyver'ed protection for my coral and rock bloodied heel in transition just before the swim. I had no respect for the event. I should have been paying attention to the warning signs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlL_tYuxGuahWfVMJoYXiJaPpLiCGCrHZyfcLFhzsn1LNCX3DSDYm0_KBj37v9Sv62swqpSG46h0gagaI3xT1fyjLeVwvSw2Q46EBBEn4hr1DsRZbHxxK1PHliqM_FYU8srxP/s1600/P1050178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlL_tYuxGuahWfVMJoYXiJaPpLiCGCrHZyfcLFhzsn1LNCX3DSDYm0_KBj37v9Sv62swqpSG46h0gagaI3xT1fyjLeVwvSw2Q46EBBEn4hr1DsRZbHxxK1PHliqM_FYU8srxP/s320/P1050178.JPG" width="320" /></a>But I'm a huge proponent of denial and so far, that's my favorite river, so off I headed into the bliss of the unknown. Since the swim had been shortened I was pretty sure I could do that much, especially as it would be all current assist and likely no rocks or coral to get bashed into. I still kept a close eye out for the human-hungry cuddas that took out a couple swimmers a couple years before but generally enjoyed the float and took it so easy I almost fell asleep. I had started waaaayyy to the right of the bouys and had finally made my way over to shore. I wondered how far I'd gone and for the absolute first time I had a watch on but never really wanted to check it. I think I was worried I would see 10 minutes on there knowing I had a good hour to go. I figured it would take me an hour and maybe more.<br />
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About 1/2 way through the float we hit a wall. I was way over near shore with a small pack of 3-4 swimmers, following Mr. Bubbles (I found 2 Mr. Bubbles during the swim and hung out on their feet, letting them do the work and I just followed their strong, bubble-inducing swim. I actually got a bit miffed when I managed to misplace my Mr. Bubbles but luckily found another) when the current not only stopped carrying us down the coastline but actually reversed on us and our little group along with another group to our right were stopped short and now had to work for our advancement. This was not the swim I signed up for. I was promised a float down the Lazy River and I'd be damned if I had to actually exert some effort. Didn't Cozumel know I'd just gotten over typhoid? Didn't the current know I'd been tumbled around rocks and coral the day before and the only thing keeping the bulls and tigers (yeah, they're out there, lurking...) away were 2 strips of duct tape keeping the blood contained?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSdqGZvhEOY8cei-SSytBjRNtfrbYEC1mGBP5U3rkNHiUKj7As36_a_fWv8yJZOeJ9hLS4oO7Ut9HCJ5IKHt1RifaqZ_5_PmZ5gSLfYzqgkYJ5Mmh7gvjcKLn-c53qSiqnZOa/s1600/P1050294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSdqGZvhEOY8cei-SSytBjRNtfrbYEC1mGBP5U3rkNHiUKj7As36_a_fWv8yJZOeJ9hLS4oO7Ut9HCJ5IKHt1RifaqZ_5_PmZ5gSLfYzqgkYJ5Mmh7gvjcKLn-c53qSiqnZOa/s320/P1050294.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
This was NOT the float I had signed up for. Hmph!<br />
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It was a short lived section though, and within 100-200 m we were free and back to our float and before I knew it we were hauling ass up the stairs. I took my damn time in T1. Last year I booked it out of there but this year I didn't know how far I'd get before I'd have to abandon (let's just not think about that nasty thought, shall we? have another martini on de Nile...) so I took my damn time, got as nekkid as an old man in the YMCA dressing room and got all parts situated before heading out. I think it ended up being close to 10 minutes.<br />
<br />
Lap one of the bike was good. Immediately out of swim my neck was killing me and I was very worried that I would never last the whole bike as your neck just gets more and more sore as the day goes on. I tried to stay aero in the wind and sit up on the tailwind to try and save my back and neck as it had been so long since I'd been on a ride longer than 2 hours. By the end of lap 1 my neck was fine and that was a relief. Saw the famdamily and stopped and then headed out for 2. Lap 2 I knew the winds would creep up and they did.<br />
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I was really surprised by the course marshals though. I know everyone on slowtwitch was bitching about the lack of course marshals on the bike but in comparison to years past and the halfs the last couple years I was incredibly impressed with the bike marshals. I don't think I passed 1 penalty tent on lap 2 that was empty. There were 3 distinct marshals I saw on lap 2 and they were doing their best. For some strange reason I really believed I had a chance for 6:30 (or even 6:00 - maybe typhoid fever was coming back) as my bike computer was stuck on miles instead of km and I thought my average could be close to 30km/hr since I was without reference in miles. Maybe the power of positive thinking would convert those pesky miles to 30kph average?<br />
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Unfortunately by lap 3 of the bike I couldn't ignore the clock and knew it was going to be about a 7-hour bike. I should have been happy to just finish it (and holey moley by lap 3 I was VERY READY to get off that bike) and it was incredible seeing the family out there but the thin veil of de Nile was almost gone and I was very worried about the run. I couldn't help but acknowledge to myself that I was going to have to run a marathon and I was not in any shape to even try that and had no business being out there. But the famdamily was yelling and cheering and you'd have to be brain dead not to respond to that love, so off the bike, kiss for the old farts (nothing like 80 yo parents to make you feel young again) and off to T2.<br />
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I had a roll of duct tape and some Second Skin scrounged from the 7 yo first aid kit from the car. I took my Damn Time AGAIN, got nekkid as an old man in the YMCA locker room AGAIN and taped up that bloody appendage. (note, it is 8 days after the IM and my bloody appendages are still healing) Changed into new clothes (nothing more refreshing than stripping out of stinky, disgusting clothing and putting on clean, new ones) and headed out. Spent only 7 minutes in T2. Don't know how I did it that fast. I ran a lot of lap 1. I found it incredibly easy and so refreshing after the bike. I wondered to myself if I should try and do a walk/run and save myself for the other laps and went back and forth, doing some walk/run but mostly running, in awe that I was still out there and feeling better than I had all day.<br />
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Maybe I take a REALLY long time to warm up. </div>
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Or maybe it was the calm before the storm. You know how dying folk get a little better and seem to improve just before they die? Yeah, I'm thinking it was something like that. I had eaten 4 GUs (2 hammer and 2 Acai), 2 cliffbars and 3 bottles of Skratch on the bike. I also had a banana and a bottle of perpeteum before the swim. I figured my calories were pretty well taken care of. Now a real triathlete would have planned that out. I've gotten used to planning nutrition and having that all go to hell and making due on the course. So I decided this year to just cut to the chase and figure it out on the course.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7bR-UZXUkEf30ROwpRMvqmnuXDmXjifDW1UbaAz0lngJN0nz8s_QHuCB5Dd6AS0LWNO5h0CZEnDwtNVIsio_wj0ByusdodacVRx3m_ukTVlU5s1WFkwgmMuoH4WZTm9zRBS8/s1600/P1050519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7bR-UZXUkEf30ROwpRMvqmnuXDmXjifDW1UbaAz0lngJN0nz8s_QHuCB5Dd6AS0LWNO5h0CZEnDwtNVIsio_wj0ByusdodacVRx3m_ukTVlU5s1WFkwgmMuoH4WZTm9zRBS8/s320/P1050519.JPG" width="320" /></a>It killed me to pass by all that nutrition LITERALLY on the bike course. There were multiple GUs and bars and nutrition All Over the bike course (is this normal in all IMs? do people just dump stuff and decide not to pick it up? Every year I see the same and one of these years I'm going to have to do an IM literally eating off the course - picking up all the nutrition that people drop on the course) and it Killed me to leave it all out there. I kept sending Jamie telepathic messages to pick up bottles and stuff on teh course but would he listen?<br />
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Back to the run. Lap 2, I decided to take on Pepsi. I did water and Gatorade on lap 1 and figured I'd likely need some sugar for lap 2. But my stomach really didn't like the Pepsi. Actually, my stomach didn't really like much of anything and decided to reboot. And it rebooted a couple times. Worked just about as well as you'd expect. Around the turnaround point I got weird. i was stumbing around like a drunkard and had not a care in the world. I was damn tired but I was in the middle of something I couldn't stop. so I kept weaving and stumbling until a Swedish couple (with whom I had gone back and forth most of the bike) stopped me and in very broken English (to my Spanish, I guess when I get drunk I speak Spanish) told me they were taking me to medical.<br />
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I argued with them for a bit (I don't think they understood Spanish) before and angel appeared (really, it was very wooo wooo) and spoke to me in Spanish and offered me a nirvana Gatorade. Last year and the year before when we got to T1 we got these nirvana Gatorade thingies that really revived me the previous years. It is too weird to imagine that out there in the dark of the course, some angel would speak the language I've decided I speak and offer me the only nirvana I've ever found, but assuming it wasn't a hallucination, I took her offer and within minutes was able to walk without weaving. The Swedes were happy and I recovered enough English to thank them and head back to town to the waiting famdamily.<br />
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dayum it was good to see them. by the end of lap 2 I was getting tired. i Really Really wanted to lie down and sleep and I really missed the Brazilian band that usually plays under Punta Langosta but the crowd was on fire (as usual) and the family showing me with love, so off for the last lap. Normally, my last lap is my fastest and I had vowed to run most of this one. But a funny thing happened on the way to Intention Land. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EnpgdjxjepV5ZkNox9KjJsGc-XOiBWyCIw5YH907zUggKHxsUaaIzhplIEmH03N7rdrUJ_gLhjWDfwhuAKPRyJ0QKORoY6MfsDAEylrvan7C473n19Z7QkVV3bBEHIi7an-G/s1600/P1050626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EnpgdjxjepV5ZkNox9KjJsGc-XOiBWyCIw5YH907zUggKHxsUaaIzhplIEmH03N7rdrUJ_gLhjWDfwhuAKPRyJ0QKORoY6MfsDAEylrvan7C473n19Z7QkVV3bBEHIi7an-G/s320/P1050626.JPG" width="320" /></a>I walked and walked and walked and then tried to run but every time I'd run I'd reboot. and then dry heave. and then I'd try to take on liquid because I figured I needed something in me to get through 14 km but stomach was in rejection mode so I would wet down my mouth or swallow something just to have something to come back up. I hated the walking. I hated the rebooting. I hated the dry heaves. And I really was pissed that I was going to have such a slow time. And then I started trying to figure out how to cheat the course. I kept wishing the timing mat wasn't at the end of the loop but there was no way around it, to get through the loop I had to get all the way out and then all the way back. and runnign wasn't going to happen. it was going to be slow, with rebooting and dry heaving and walking.<br />
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Every IM people say you have to have a reason that you're doing the damn thing. I never have had one. I got the closest on this last lap though. I thought of my dad with bladder and prostate cancer and my sister with sarcoma and how they don't get to choose to do the hard shit but I have a choice to do a hard thing. So I did it. I thought of my sister and kept walking. I still hated it and if my brain could have wrapped around a way to cheat I would have been sorely tempted because it was beyond demoralizing walking and rebooting and dry heaving but that's what I had to do so I did it.<br />
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And the finish was beyond amazing. I was able to run again (oh how feeble the body is when the mind is strong) once I got to the lights of town, took a short break and ran again after the passenger ferry and the absolute GLORY of the screaming fans (not yours - yours are at the finish) and my SON! at Mega my lovely boy ran out to meet me and then ran quick like a bunny to the finish and the bright lights and This Time, THIS time you don't have to make the turnaround back to the dark of the 14 more km of "run", THIS time you head to the bright lights and the announcer and you know the end is near and THIS, THIS is the reason you do this damn thing. Six triathlons and for the first time I saw the famdamily at the finish line. Each and every year (even the half!) I cannot find them and walk/run through the finish in a daze looking and wondering where they are and THIS time I spotted all 13,931 of them.<br />
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And it was glorious.</div>
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(but next year my shorts will NOT be that short)</div>
Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-87575638078301759892013-12-05T21:37:00.000-06:002013-12-05T21:37:25.975-06:00Prerace jitters - IM Cozumel 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the good, the bad and the very, very ugly. It was Ironman number 3 and by now I should be able to throw one down without a second thought. I had a few challenges this year, dengue in July, trochanteric bursitis in September, and typhoid in November. I had an AMAZING half in September and the first time I really raced hard. I need to look back to that race to remember this year.<br />
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I wasn't even the slightest bit concerned about either the IM or the HIM after dengue and somewhat concerned after the bursitis but figured I'd just ride hard when the doctor gave me clearance to ride again. I had 2 runs in the bank after getting doctor clearance and was hit with typhoid. Looking back at my training log I was completely out for 10 days. Once I was finally able to get out of bed and train again, I had less than 3 weeks before the IM and one of those would be a "taper" week. I had just been 2-1/2 weeks off of bike and run due to bursitis and I was desperate to try and salvage some fitness and finish the IM.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwh5MKbHRNrqhYi4RKPUzLPXMUyM2Lzsg2_j1jYtH1Kn2XKF_ued9Zi7c7jHqTco-j0MWp6-jjcSduj5N_YBkgE1t_Eug920bLFaitApsfby696t28XCs5jrCij5Le4lwxp15y/s1600/P1060228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwh5MKbHRNrqhYi4RKPUzLPXMUyM2Lzsg2_j1jYtH1Kn2XKF_ued9Zi7c7jHqTco-j0MWp6-jjcSduj5N_YBkgE1t_Eug920bLFaitApsfby696t28XCs5jrCij5Le4lwxp15y/s320/P1060228.JPG" width="240" /></a>I usually have family visit for the IM in November - it is a perfect vacation time for them with Turkey day and all but it is exam week for the Mexican kids. This year in addition to a 2nd appearance of the grandparents (my folks) and a 3rd appearance by my sister (and 2nd by her kids and husband), we had the fortune to have the company of my other sister, her husband, and their 4 kids. Both sisters and most of the kids spent a few days here with us at home before most of us headed over to the island.<br />
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I got over to the island super early this year. Normally we head over Friday but my sister had half her family coming to Cozumel on Wednesday so we all headed over on the early ferry and down to their luxury villa on the south side of the island. I spent a lovely night in the luxury of the mansion but sleeping alone, I was up at 3am and unable to sleep. Luckily, we decided to take the kids out of school Friday and Monday so they could enjoy the maximum time with cousins possible and Jamie and the kids headed over to the island Thursday after school and we all headed to our little house after a lovely dinner at the mansion.<br />
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By Saturday I was desperate to swim. I hadn't been in the water all week, between working, logistics and travel it just wasn't going to happen. All the Ironman swims had been cancelled due to rough water but I didn't really think it was worse than the year before and figured I could handle it and decided to put in around Villablana, the usual spot we go in Cozumel. I didn't want to spend the gas to drive all the way to Chank. I got in the water pretty well even though the dock was continued to be hammered and rendered unusable by the storm. I picked a spot between big waves and got out before they smashed me back into the dock.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJosnP5NTRZ0794N7lxpz8GKkY4iJqh33JowMHNTbWm6JBO-T_hclN6l8FdR-IZH6X_79T4Fl5V8npPRel5jgEwO73qDiySuiEzaBg3V4c88ckE2Zjl4v9v2uG3cXzbO4c6ih4/s1600/IMG_3706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJosnP5NTRZ0794N7lxpz8GKkY4iJqh33JowMHNTbWm6JBO-T_hclN6l8FdR-IZH6X_79T4Fl5V8npPRel5jgEwO73qDiySuiEzaBg3V4c88ckE2Zjl4v9v2uG3cXzbO4c6ih4/s320/IMG_3706.JPG" width="240" /></a>Once away from solid objects, the water was fine. Full of sea grass (ugh) but definitely swimable. I swam up the coast a bit and then aimed to come out of the water at a spot I had figured out from shore was my best bet. It might have been my best bet but it was a bloody exit. I was hammered pretty hard into the rock and coral and days later found more spots that had been scraped up. It was one of the more stupid things I'd ever done but I had my head planted firmly in De Nile and typhoid or no typhoid, bloody appendages or no bloody appendages, I was going to do the damn event one way or another. I had been pretty apathetic about it however, not really envisioning the race and just hanging onto the hope that I would finish. I figured I could likely do the swim, the bike was a question over 130 km and the run was a giant question I had no desire to confront. I'd stick with De Nile and hope for a miracle.<br />
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How bad could it be?Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-88659116392473761722013-11-08T16:37:00.002-06:002013-11-08T16:37:10.437-06:00pulling hard for things happen in 3sthis evening the fleeting thought of coffee crossed my mind, so quickly I had to double take as it flew past my brain for it to register. I have been without the Dark Lord for 4 days now and after 3 days of my throwing out my glorious cup, Jamie didn't even bother to offer me any this morning. I just would have thrown it away also after trying a sip or two. And it really didn't even bother me. I thought maybe the coffee was off.<br />
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That's when you know you're really sick and ready to die - when you go without coffee for 3 days and that doesn't ring the LOUDEST bell in your noggin as a SIGN that something is drastically wrong!<br />
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i had just started running and it was so nice to get back out there after 2.5 weeks of bursitis-induced rest and i was feeling somewhat encouraged that maybe i'd still be able to pull our a good race. i have been thinking for a while now that i should be able to get down to 13 hours and this was my goal for this year. unfortunately i was hit with a wicked fever after only 2 days return to running which eventually turned out to be typhoid. <br />
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good thing i finally went to the doctor because of all the sickness going through my head, typhoid was not on my radar. i suspected maybe dengue and more likely flu and every single day that passed without a workout of any sort was i was getting more and more stressed. i'm now on day 4 of antibiotics and yesterday was my first almost full day out of bed. i'm getting dressed every day now and spend most of the day out of bed. i still need a nap and/or rest in the afternoon and today i considered very strongly going for a run. <br />
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i got quite close to actually going but between teh typhoid itself and teh strong antibiotics, i'm not quite there yet. which leads to the realization (finally) that i'm going to be hurting so incredibly bad during the IM I'm beginning to wonder why start? i know i can do it (when not felled by typhoid) so, why? And all i got is that too very many others don't have the bodies or opportunity to do so and if i have the opportunity and my body shows up for the show on december 1st, it is my responsibility to at least give it a try.<br />
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course it may be a moot point talking about doing an IM when i'm not yet spending teh day out of bed...3 weeks to go. Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-10200748764693385362013-10-17T14:24:00.001-05:002013-10-17T14:24:33.545-05:00kitchens and restSince I seem to have loads of extra free time now that I'm only allowed to swim, I've been catching up on blog reading. Some of the expats around the country are sharing kitchen photos and I'm jumping on that particular bandwagon (since it is the only jumping I'm likely to be doing in the near future). I'm really having a hard time with this imposed "rest" as I should be in a huge build right now, training 15 to 20 hours a week and all I think about is how my ass is spreading and how life is going to suck so badly going into the IM half assed. Blah, blah, blah. But really, I'm very disappointed. Not sure if I'll go back to the doctor Friday...<br />
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So, back to kitchens... Here on the peninsula, most all kitchens are outside. It really is quite logical to have all the heat producing outside your sleeping area and whenever we go to Cozumel and stay in a house I'm once again reminded how weird it is to have all your heat producing activity inside the house where you want to be cool. But then again, I'm always FLOORED at the shock of warm water coming out of a faucet anywhere, so there is that.<br />
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The kitchen is at the back of the palapa (keeps the dust and dirt and malathion or DDT or whatever they spray) a bit removed from the food. Actually when the spray trucks come by, we cover most of the kitchen with towels and move the moveable stuff (anything on counters) into the girl's recamera. The big white fridge is not dirty - that is rust and, yeah, likely some dirt also. Funny story about that fridge. We had a very small (for our family) 6 cubic foot or something fridge and a neighbor was upgrading their fridge so they put that one out on the road. It might have been there 10 minutes and I grabbed Jamie and we wrestled it into our palapa and 4 or 5 years later it is still working like a champ. We have only one shelf in it though, so all the tall stuff goes there. We really needed a 2nd fridge as, with 4 kids, you can imagine we needed more than 1 shelf for fridge space so we got the silver fridge on deep discount at Sams.<br />
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this is what is the other side of the counter looks like. We (obviously) have no doors on the cupboards - how would the jungle animals get their snacks or the cockroaches get their homes or the spiders get their meals? We're thoughtful that way. Down here it just doesn't make sense to have cupboard doors as stuff inside the cupboard will mold and rot without the air flow.<br />
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<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-25993437505391339272013-10-12T11:18:00.002-05:002013-10-12T11:18:55.743-05:00and the long stuff begins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I've actually been able to drag Jamie out with me on the longer rides this year. We did a 125 km ride the weekend before last, out the road to Coba from Tulum and it was really nice for him to ride on a new road. I've ridden out that road a number of times before and honestly I don't like it. There are dogs out there and the road surface sucks but it was really nice to listen to him oooohing and ahhhing over all the new stuff. When you have only 1 road for hundreds of kilometers, you get excited by the smallest things.<br />
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then last weekend we were aiming for 5 hours and ended up headed down past Tulum a little south of Muyil. We passed a lot of newly developed cenotes once past Tulum and I have an itch to go check them out. Might have to wait until after IMCOZ. Might be good to check out with the folks. The road was SO QUIET out there- no dogs, no cars, just the road, the sun, the jungle and us.<br />
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a very hot Jamie with 45 km left to go on his longest ride yet (150km). stopped in Tulum for cold drinks<br />
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I had a 14km trail run scheduled for Sunday (tomorrow) and had been
wondering how I was going to fit in work Saturday, the run Sunday,
taking Ellen for nail polishing, more work, and a long ride. I
inadvertantly found a way on Thursday night after my bike ride. I've
had achy hips for probably a year now but only on the bike and figured
if it was a real problem I would have them on the run also. Made sense
to me... <br />
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even the bikes had shade in Tulum. So after my usual Thursday ride (and I'm getting better and better keeping my HR at 85% on those short rides) it really hurt to get off the bike. My left hip has been off and on waking me at night and bothering me but not enough to really call my attention. This got my attention. By bedtime I could barely move and was in enough pain to take tramadol (which allowed me to sleep fitfully).<br />
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i figured it would be better by morning but it wasn't. Google and the guys at Slowtwitch didn't really narrow the diagnosis down much so Dailene gave me a referral to a doctor who treats Los Tigres in Cancun and Jamie and I headed off last night to see what he said. Apparently it is trochanteric bursitis and he gave me a few meds to take since I declined the injection.<br />
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Honestly, if you want your patient to get an injection, don't describe it as "a really, really long needle and I'll try to aspirate what I can, but the fluid is gelatinous, and then I'll inject a TEEENY TEENSY TINY, just the SLIGHTEST HINT of steroid". Really? that's your pitch? Immense pain followed by more intense pain followed by the slightest hint of pain relief? <br />
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But this morning I'm thinking I might just take the bus up there sometime next week as the clinic is SUPER close to the bus station and get a nice injection. He said last night 3 weeks before I can train again. I have 7 weeks to IMCOZ. Ramping up my training from running injury. Honestly, I can't afford the time off. BUT, since I can't train this weekend, you will find me glued to the computer (either working or watching IM Kona coverage) and taking my youngest to get her nails done. I should have no excuse to hit 12.5 K swimming next week now that my shoulder is back to normal. Dayum, bodies tend to break down when you get old, eh?<br />
<br />Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-10449127047248962352013-09-26T20:49:00.000-05:002013-09-26T20:49:05.294-05:00Cozumel HIM 2013 recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I really thought I had no chance. I had convinced myself that my lack of swimming the past few weeks and complete lack of run and huge decrease in bike the last 2 months had doomed my chances. I had trained well in the beginning of the year, up to about July, but July and August sucked in training due, no doubt, to dengue. I was hoping my early season training might get me through the race in a respectable time but I had very little hope. It was the first time I'd not visualized a race at all - I was very meh about the whole idea.<br />
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Last year I had the same time goal but with more bike and run training;however fell quite short and had a didn't do the time I thought I should have. I was really avoiding thinking about the race and had no expectations. I think I finally got into the race about an hour before it started. We took the longest ferry again. The ferry on the Friday before a race must always run a couple hours behind schedule and be loaded to the brim. We finally got over to the island about 5 hours after we left the house (5 km up the road and 10km across the water). This picture is from the ferry line.<br />
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Pike and Jamie went with me to package pickup and then we just hung out at the house the rest of the day. We invited one of Ellen's friends over (and she took the ferry over by herself!) and she and the girls decided to skip the swim start so race day it was just Jamie and the boys to accompany me to the swim start. We left much later than usual and found out a very important piece of information. Most all the street closures happen between 530 and 6 am, so leaving at 6am will have you in a bit of a panic trying to get out onto the malecon. I got to the start with about 10 minutes at transition before we headed
out to the water but frankly, that was about all I needed. Maybe next
time I'll leave a little bit more fudge time. <br />
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rooftop view from the house we stayed at. definitely a 10/10 especially with FIVE beds!<br />
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Again, like last year, the oldest of the farts started first, right after the pros and we were off pretty quickly. I snagged some feet and a hip for the first time in a long time and pushed the pace. I had to keep reminding myself that this was the half, not the full, and I could afford to go harder, though I honestly had no game plan other than to push as hard as I could but still be able to hold on for the run. I didn't feel like we had a current-assisted swim this year but neither were we against teh current. It was super tranquilo and flat seas. <br />
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<a href="https://fp-zoom-eu.s3.amazonaws.com/0493/0493_03631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fp-zoom-eu.s3.amazonaws.com/0493/0493_03631.JPG" width="212" /></a>I was All Over the course though. I kept choosing the wrong person to follow. I noticed that only one wave had caught up and was somewhat encouraged by that but had no idea how I was doing. At one point I rounded a buoy and had empty seas ahead of me until I popped up and realized I had started swimming BACK across the course and had to reverse and come back to the course. Empty water rounding a buoy is a great clue for me now to make sure I'm actually on course. :) I was shocked that the end had come up so quick as I had expected a much longer swim but was very happy to find the steps and exit (not before completely missing them and starting to swim under the pier). I was definitely direction challenged today. I found out later that most likely the swim was short, so my most excellent time was likely not quite so excellent after all.<br />
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I had not seen any of the boys or Jamie before the swim, coming out of the water or heading out on the bike. I figured something must have happened or the boys had to leave early (they were volunteering at the finish) so off to the bike. For the entire road across the island to the East side, my legs were just gone. I was doing 25-27kph and my heart rate was in the low 140s and high 130s. I was really worried that my legs had forgotten to show up for the event and my goals were were quickly disappearing. I was getting passed by group after group and at one point identified a lady in my AG blatantly drafting off 2 of her compaƱeros. I was getting very discouraged.<br />
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Luckily, I came upon an aid station and upon realizing I had inadvertently left my planned bike nutrition at transition, I added a bottle of gatorade to the 2 bottle of Skrach and very shortly, just after turning onto the windy side my legs woke up and I started to ride. I remember being SO GLAD they showed up AND that it seemed we actually had a tail wind on the East side (rather than the usual howling cross winds) and my speed climbed to 31-34 and my HR fell to the very low 130s. I kept looking down at my legs and thanking them for showing up over and over almost the whole ride. I then lived off the course to ensure I had enough sugar to keep me moving.<br />
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I found another lady in my AG who was being very blatantly drafted off by another lady in our AG and thanked my legs again for showing up to the dance and decided to hang back from them about 7m (legal draft). Watching them, it seemed like the lady in front had no idea of her little leech but she also wasn't against sitting on a guy's wheel for a while. I passed her a few times but she always made a point to pass me back so I figured she just liked being in front and let her lead. I also let her decide the pace.<br />
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They say to always race your own race and not your competitor's race but she had a good pace, I could hold it, I didn't want to lose my placing (thanks legs AGAIN) and my HR was okay. I managed to jump in front of her just before the timing mats though to keep my placing. Just before T2 I saw the whole famdamily and I had to stop and greet them which resulted in her beating me to T2. I hoped she wasn't a strong runner but I wasn't about to just ride by my family and yell out a greeting. They deserved hugs and kisses so I stopped.<br />
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<a href="https://fp-zoom-eu.s3.amazonaws.com/0493/0493_36532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fp-zoom-eu.s3.amazonaws.com/0493/0493_36532.JPG" width="212" /></a>Once on the run course I checked my watch and realized my bike MUST have been under 3 hours and that knowledge kept me going strong. I pushed the pace as much as I could on the run with the only goal being to hold off the rest of the old ladies from passing me, run the entire run (no walking) and keep the rubber side down. The 2nd lap the skies opened, DUMPED, lightened up and then dumped and dumped and dumped to such a degree that we were running through water up to our calves in normal and deeper at other super flooded areas.<br />
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I got SO MUCH energy from the crowds on the first lap, this course is like none other. The fans are AMAZING and they make the event such a great experience. I couldn't help but think, however, how hard this was and the full is double. At the finish the clock was not working and I didn't start my watch until the bike, so I had no idea of my swim or finish time, but seeing my boys at the finish, working as catchers, pushed any idea of a clock out of my mind and I grabbed the both of them and we headed towards pizza.<br />
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Even though I've done the full twice before, today has really scared me for the full. This was hard for me - I pushed in all 3 events - and while I know I can't hold these paces for the full, I'm worried I'm just not up for the full this year. I'm stiff, sore, feet are like hamburger and I'm hurting tonight. I hate to think what that means for the full....but I am Very Proud of this race. I was racing it, not just doing it. I was checking the calves of any female coming near me (checking for AG identification) and other than 3 aid stations where I took on Pepsi, I never walked AND I kept the pace up (for me). Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-71598137302630641662013-09-25T21:11:00.002-05:002013-09-26T15:49:45.732-05:00off road triathlon. how hard could it be?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Earlier this year when I saw the rise in sprint prices from $500 to $1000 and more I realized I wouldn't be doing too many triathlons. When I started a couple years ago I was doing the first edition of triathlons offered and the sprints ran around $500. I figured that was reasonable. However, the sport is exploding. This year we got a state organization and sprints are popping up all over the place but the kids aren't going to put themselves through school, so I knew I'd be backing off the races this year.<br />
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I was intrigued enough, however, to sign up for an off-road triathlon that couldn't quite get enough participants the year before. I just needed a mountain bike. Well, I figured I did. I thought it was likely that the event would be just on gravel roads versus paved roads but figured I might fall with the road bike. Boy, was that an understatement of thought. I liked the distances - 1km swim, 21km bike (how hard could that be? we do that in around 30 minutes on our road bikes...) and an 8km (ish) run through the jungle.<br />
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<a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/9956281574_3b6c83d085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2816/9956281574_3b6c83d085.jpg" width="320" /></a>I had seen mention of a beach finish and figured people were just being pussies and bellyaching about the sand run. At any rate, with no concrete to run on, my hips would thank me as well as my complaining ankle. So I signed myself up and tasked Jamie with cludging a mountain bike out of spare parts. And he did. It was more steel than rust (pretty much) and the gears decided what gear they'd be in, not me, but the wheels rolled and the handle bars steered and the seat stayed in place. After all, it was only 21k; how long could that take?<br />
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I looked up the finishing times the night before and was floored to see women finishing in the 3- to 4-hour range. This was very confusing. I figured I'd take some gels and Skratch (electrolyte mix) and see what happened. I found out that there was no water on the bike course so I decided to take 2 large bottles on teh bike and 1 small in my jersey.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/9956391913_eac63af878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2848/9956391913_eac63af878.jpg" width="320" /></a>I had a GREAT swim and came out first woman (it was a small field). I threw my bike jersey on and headed out on the bike only to find it was a ride comprised of slabs of rocks, giant boulders, tree roots, logs crossing the path. I figured it was likely hard at the start but it HAD to get better/flatter/more like a road, RIGHT? ah, no.<br />
<br />
I caught trees in my handlebars, waddled through deep sand I couldn't ride through and kissed a lot of slabs of rocks. Towards the end of the first loop I was so done I was just going to quit. I was having No fun, it was Sissy's birthday and it just didn't seem worth the trouble to be away from family on an important day doing something that was so NOT FUN. Unfortunately I was on the 2nd loop before I knew it and figured I may as well finish the thing. I thought I was muddy from spray from the course until I took a bath in a rancid mud puddle after one of my many falls. then I KNEW <br />
I was muddy.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/9956258495_1df67f2245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7390/9956258495_1df67f2245.jpg" width="320" /></a>I was never So Glad to get off the bike. The run was back out in the jungle, on the single track, and much more manageable when you only had to dodge trees with your body and not bike. The run ended with about 750m of deep sand run because apparently the event needed to make it just that extra bit harder. I'll never do one again. My hands were full of blisters, cramped into claws from holding the handlebars and I had a hard time locating the blood and bruises under the mud.<br />
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Punta Venado is a lovely location though and the organizers are putting on a run there in October. That just might pull me in, especially since there will be NO bike involved!Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-83506093144869384382013-09-21T05:22:00.002-05:002013-09-21T05:22:34.084-05:00here we go againso i guess this is getting to be old hat now - I'm a grizzled veteran of the triathlon circuit after only 3 years. Go figure. I guess if you keep doing the same ones over and over and 2 of those 3 same ones are on the same course, you get grizzled in only 3 years. I've done the full twice and this will be my 2nd half here on Cozumel, so this will be the 4th time on this course. In November I'll have #5. It is a GORGEOUS course and that really helps. Not having the $ to go anywhere else even though Cozumel is a "destination" triathlon for so many might be another reason for my lack of excitement. <br />
<br />
Or maybe it is the fact that I had hopes (where I get these ideas into my head I have NO IDEA) of placing top 3 this year. Honestly, I just don't think I've put in the training to achieve that result, but just like last year's expectation of hitting a 6-hour time (that was unrealistic) again this year I have (what will likely be) the unrealistic goal of 6-hour time AND top 3. I mean, if your first goal was unrealistic, why not pile another one in there too? I can't even blame this on lack of sleep and being up since 3am as I've had this goal for a while. <br />
<br />
The ferry, as usual, took FOREVER (yeah, I'm jaded about a ferry ride on the Caribbean). By now we should be used to this but rushing around to get the kids from school, pack the car, (one of these years I am going to make a LIST), get to the ferry terminal and then wait for 3 hours to board. I always try to get the planta baja as it is so much easier than dragging the van's ass on the metal of the floor as we attempt to drive up the 45 degree (so it seems) ramp. I got super luck this time but we were about the 3rd last on the ferry. Ferry was so packed they turned one truck away. Don't think I've ever seen that before. <br />
<br />
Course, last on = first off and while we were packed in so incredibly tight that the only door that could be opened was the drivers (and this was after a car was moved so we could get that one open) we probably got off about an hour before those waiting on the 2nd deck. I really felt sorry for the folks waiting for the ferry going back across. Last one of the night and we docked an hour late. They will have had a LONG night. These races are getting bigger and bigger here in Mexico and each one I see more and more athletes and bikes and fancy stuff on the trip over to the island. Other than truck drivers, I think everyone on the ferry was coming for the event. <br />
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We are LOVING this house. I think we get a different house each trip and this is the best so far if, for absolutely nothing else, EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN BED. When you have 4 kids and not so much $, you tend to crowd kids wherever and the boys almost always end up on a couch IF they're lucky. This place has THREE bedrooms and FIVE BEDS. I can't remember the last time we had enough beds for everyone. We didn't get here until after 9pm so no clue as to the rest but we're SUPER close to T2 and that's about as good as it gets. I've been up since 3am getting some work done (I had no clue how early it was when I originally got up and tried to go back to bed but no dice) so I am sure I'll be napping later IN MY OWN ROOM!!! Doesn't take much to impress me. <br />
<br />
I really need to start visualizing the race and preparing for it because I seriously have not given it a second of thought. Goal 1: A 6-hour race. Goal 2: Place in top 3 (likely 3rd if I get lucky enough). Rationalization and/or training to achieve the aforementioned goals? Um, well, that could be a problem. If this race had been in July, I might have had a chance...pictures to come.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-65640709137769248462013-09-08T14:13:00.004-05:002013-09-08T14:13:32.306-05:00the rest of bacalar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had SUCH a good time in Bacalar we decided to really drag out the day
coming home. IIRC I let the kids take a day off school and we found a
rancho I'd read about and the girls took us on a horseback ride. They
really wanted to run the horses but these were not jumping horses. Both
girls did, finally, coax gallope out of both their mounts but I think
they had more fun running the horses in the ring than the lovely passage
through the jungle to the laguna. Jamie and I had a GREAT time
watching but riding a horse is definitely Not My Thing. It sure was fun
to have them be the masters looking out for us and telling us what to
do though.<br />
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Chilling at Laguna Bacalar after the swim<br />
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the rancho had a pool also and we put it to good use<br />
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sissy getting her mount to gallope <br />
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almost at the laguna - took about 30 minutes from the rancho<br />
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sissy giving Jamie pointers <br />
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the laguna via horsebackKathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12767946.post-38832873786948552362013-09-03T11:34:00.003-05:002013-09-08T14:05:08.628-05:00three-quarters of a year.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJVt1sCm2L7CVa653iCYszcp788o7zEJJGjHlTjOGB9frL855DP8tLk58Ipo6iwp3G8q2ay-OLieEOcurz0YtAWMaowMLEtBM33OZd-8WdDe-L6WJdy7iAK6XKhxHulNgrbqJ/s1600/IMG_2024.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJVt1sCm2L7CVa653iCYszcp788o7zEJJGjHlTjOGB9frL855DP8tLk58Ipo6iwp3G8q2ay-OLieEOcurz0YtAWMaowMLEtBM33OZd-8WdDe-L6WJdy7iAK6XKhxHulNgrbqJ/s320/IMG_2024.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
I guess I somehow deleted the beginning of this...So Jamie and I decided to do a 40km time trial out towards Cancun in the spring. I got lots of good advice from <a href="http://www.slowtwitch.com/" target="_blank">Slowtwitch</a> along with warmup and training advice and thought I might have a chance in the top 5 to 10. They were only paying out top 3 though and I really wanted my entry fee ($200 pesos) back, so I was hoping.<br />
<br />
We
had gone out the weekend before to get a feeling of the road and
thought we figured out the start and turn around and found that while it
is pretty easy to average 32kph here (with and against the wind) out
there seemed to be a strange vortex of energy or whatever that kept our
HR up high and our average speed pretty pedestrian. Very strange.
After our pre-race reconnaissance we were rather worried we would place
very low (if at all) and I was hoping against hope for more women in my
age category as I didn't think I had much of a chance against the young
women. The same organizers put a team time trial on later in the year
but we never managed to put the energy into finding a 3rd person for our
team. <br />
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I killed myself, averaging 148 HR or so and with 3 km left completely died. When I finally crossed the finish line I could barely stay on my bike and actually just got off and lay down in the road. At least I left it all out there. I somehow managed 2nd in my age group (25+) and 3rd overall. Beat by a teenager (IIRC) for overall position! :) Jamie took his category by at least 15 minutes or more. Kicking some old man ass. <br />
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We'll definitely be back for the next event they have though.
There were very pro-looking teams coming from all over the peninsula.
Apparently, quite the event. </div>
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the kid front, Sissy's school participated in the millon a pie (can't
remember what the engish version was) but a world-wide event, which
involved one of her newly found loves (thanks to school), dancing.
Apparently the moms were also invited to participate. They held the
event just off the beach and it was really fun to watch them. Plus they
got about 1/2 a day off school!<br />
<br />
Jesse's school then put on their 10th
anniversary concert at a local bar and we all spent the day at the beach
(such trials and tribulations :)) and had a great time listening to the
music, watching the dance and getting a sneak peak at their newest
performance, Les Miserables. I had been very skeptical of this musical
as i didn't think they'd be able to touch their amazing performance of
All Shook Up but the entire family really enjoyed Les Miz once the
performance rolled around. That school continues to amaze me with the
quality of their performances. The girls ran the Ak Lu'um 5k again this
year which Ellen topped with a 1K for the kids as she still had energy
left over. The girls don't really race it, they just go to support
Ellen's school and have fun.<br />
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I'm have so many pictures I'm just going to have to post them separately. This is going to get long now... :) <br />
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I decided to race a 10K at Father's Day and Jamie and I
spent a lovely day in Akumal afterwards snorkeling and hanging out. I
was pleased with my time (56 minutes) and will definitely do this one
again and maybe next time be able to entice the family to come spend the
day in Akumal. Such a nice spot to spend a Sunday and The Best way to
recover from a 10K run.<br />
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Both girls had a horse competition the day of my usual sprint
triathlon so I consoled myself with a sweet jersey from this year's
event and had a GREAT time with the girls. They both eventually decided
to compete both days (instead of just one) and Ellen just missed out on
medals. Sissy took home some great prizes (AI certificate and plaques)
as well as a first place on the 2nd day. Both girls looked GREAT on
their mounts and, more importantly, cheered on their fellow competitors
and had a great time. The biggest disappointment was that the paleta
cart had no corriente so we had to scarf down enough paletas on the
first day to content us for the entire competition.<br />
<br />
I
then set my sights on Bacalar for their yearly open water event. Last
year I somehow missed the date and the year before I was wicked sick
with a chest thing. I've been wanting to do this event for 3 years
(even paid one year) and this was going to be my year. We found a house
to accommodate the dog (it is a small town and this event completely
fills all the hotels there, so it wasn't an easy task) and headed down.<br />
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(a
3-hour tour. this is why we need a van - to carry our MOUNTAINS of crap) Actually we had planned to do some riding in unfamiliar
lands while we were there but Jamie got sick and I decided to just hang with the kids and had to be content with my swim and then
outsmarting the federales trying to fleece me for $3000 for imagined
infractions. I finally broke down and did the stupid tourist "I no
speak espanish" (having used the subjunctive tense previously, I
miraculously lost all ability to speak Spanish and could only speak
English) and it worked. From now on i think I no longer speak Spanish
when it comes to cops. We left super early in the morning and it about
killed me to bypass this place offering coffee, but I managed to
survive. Barely...<br />
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<br />
We
actually stayed out of town by 5km or more and had a great time there.
We walked to the river (that feeds Laguna Bacalar) and had a great time
paddling around in the kayak. Jesse managed to cross the river but
also to lose his snorkeling mask. I think Pike was the only one
uninterested in the river, but we had fast internet and a massage chair
at the house and those were hard to compete with.<br />
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<br />
We
all really enjoyed hanging out in the house with the lovely view of the
laguna and fresh breeze. The girl ran about the GRASS!!! in the
backyard when we weren't in the water, running from the law or swimming
5k. It was a GREAT vacation.<br />
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fresh from kayak and swim</div>
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the kids room. one each to a bed, sissy in the hammock and pike made himself a bed in the closet. worked for them!<br />
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<br />
<br />
I
had just, about a month before, started increasing my swimming, trying
for 10k/week but failing miserably but hoped to just have a good time.
The first lap wasn't that bad but that second lap was trying. The water
seemed to have a good chop to it and the base of the triangle of the
swim seemed to be very difficult to swim against current. But I've
never done a 5K in the water before and figured it was par for the
course. When I got out and noticed my time I was severely
disappointed. I guess I get used to being a big fish in a small pond
(what with the infancy of the sport here and my age, I'm usually a
shoe-in to at least place in most all events) and this was a HUGE blow
to my ego.<br />
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It
is SUCH a pretty event though that I know I'll be back next year - even
if I have to downgrade to the 2.5 K. :) SO worth it!<br />
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<br />
However,
it really caused me to look hard at my swimming and put a much greater
effort into it. Luckily, soon after the event, the triathlon message
board I frequent started a swimming challenge which soon got me to
10k/week. But I first had to get over dengue, which I must have picked
up in Bacalar. That really set my training back and after my saddle
issues last year at this same time, I'm beginning to think I need to
dedicate a rest month to July or something will cause me to have a rest
month one way or another. <br />
<br />
I'm going to have to put
this past weekend's race in a separate post and maybe that will keep me
updating more regularly. Can't hurt.Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11262700116262217636noreply@blogger.com0