The awesomeness that was Cozumel

I have yet to attend any race, 10K, 5K, HIM, sprint, IM, in Mexico that did not have a PLETHORA of ice water available.  Because I never train with cold/ice water, I'm always SO Surprised, each and every time I get cold water in a race and I appreciate the Hell out of it.  Again, Cozumel did not disappoint.  Not only was there cold water for the drinking, on the last vuelta of the run, volunteers were offering to dump ice cold water (ice cubes included) on your head.  There were spectators with hoses offering to douse people.  I saw one guy monopolize a hose to the point I thought he was going to whip out shampoo and lather up.  The water was Amazing.  I remembered the run as completely overcast but looking at every picture there is sun, so I guess it was hotter than I remembered.  At any rate, the ice water was amazing.  There was also cold pepsi on the run course and I used that at many of the aid stations to keep on going.  I don't know if it was placebo or not, but I would get a surge of energy about 5 minutes after each cup of Pepsi and I really looked forward to it as long as my stomach cooperated.

My stomach kept it together until the last 5km of the run.  I was too upset for breakfast (something that may have contributed to my "off" race) but pounded down the ice cold Perpeteum (I'd frozen it the night before) and on-course gatorade as well as some gummies I brought.  I really do, however, need to pay more attention to nutrition.  I figured I would wing it like the IM, but I really need to plan better.  So lesson learned.  The weather gods smiled on us once again (just like in the IM last November) and we had a very mild day of weather.  It must have been sunny, however, (I seem to have sun amnesia) as So Many White Folk were BLISTERING RED from sunburn that there was an official on a moto traveling the run course and applying sunscreen to those who desired.

Luckily, I had planned to wear a jersey for the bike and shirt for the run, over my new trisuit, to protect me from the sun and I am So Glad I did.  The shirt on the run was a bit hot but I would douse with water and appreciate the sun protection and kept going.  The trisuit, although not at all what I ordered, worked Fabulously!  I could feel the compression in my legs on the run and that was a treat!  I had slimmed down within striking distance of race weight so I didn't have too many rolls of fat out there, but they were only visible on the swim anyway.  I was able to see the family way before they saw me on the swim and I tried waving to the 2 or 3 times before they finally saw me.  That was quite a treat to spot them and watch them as I swam.  I remember thinking over and over how glad I was to only be doing 1 vuelta of the bike IM course and it really didn't feel like half an IM due to the way they structured the extra amount of the bike.  That was nice.

We spent an extra day/night on the island as Ellen managed to find a plant to have an allergic reaction with, but since I was so wasted from the HIM I didn't really care.  As a matter of fact, I was happy to stay.  We packed up the next day and headed over to the Monkey Bar (well, that's what WE called it) and Jamie and I found a GREAT snorkel spot.  At first I was somewhat unimpressed, finding the same fish we have, but going out a bit further we found the coral was so much better recovered (on the protected from hurricane side) than our bay and some gorgeous formations and Lots and Lots of fish.  Mainly sargent majors, but still quite a nice variety.  I can't wait to take Aunty Chris and Papa and Tata there.  They also have a very pricey but good restaurant and we feasted in anticipation of my birthday on ceviche and papas and I had cawfee to warm up as it was storming out there.  Lastly, I somehow moved up in the standings and, while I'm still a little disappointed in my result, I ended up 5th in my age group.  I learned a LOT for further races AND what (not) to expect in November and I have already adjusted those expectations.  So, all in all, a very positive race and we can't wait to pop back over in November.  I had to add the Worst Run Race Photo in the World because it shows my mind set.  I was Not a Happy Camper at that race.  :)   November will only be better.

Cozumel HIM race report

So I know I'm supposed to be thankful I finished and had the opportunity to use my whole body to achieve a half ironman but  to be perfectly honest, I'm disappointed.  At my last HIM (6/2011) I had been training for only 6 months and had only been active (i.e. not a couch potato) for a couple years and I remember hurting So Much on the run I couldn't believe it.  With another year of training under my belt, a winter dedicated to the run and personal bests in the runs I've done this year, I really thought I would have a very good run at this HIM.  I have been doing 1:45-1:50 for my 100s in swim and figured at the SLOWEST I'd be at 35 minutes and maybe even faster considering that Cozumel is supposed to be a "fast" swim due to help of currents.  I haven't been swimming all that much but I figured I could, at a minimum, hold 1:50s for each 100.  I've been putting a lot of time in the saddle and average 30-32 kph and figured it wouldn't be a stretch to go under 3 hours but I wasn't sure how the winds on the island would compare to ours.  I had gone 3:01 at Veracruz, however, and figured with another year of training I should be able to best that.  Lastly, I figured with the wardrobe changes I'd done in my last HIM and the fact that I was doing no changes of clothing in this one, I'd shave a TON of time in transition alone.  So I had pretty high hopes for a 6-hour finish.

I felt like I swam pretty hard.  I was breathing every stroke from the start for quite a ways and actually found feet to follow and draft off unlike last time.  I did manage to draft for quite a long ways and kept the same ladies (yellow suit and red suit) around me.  We traded back leading and drafting and I figured we must be doing a good time.  This triathlon started in waves.  We old ladies were in the very first wave (after the pros) and then the old men, then younger men through all the age groups.  I didn't recall getting swarmed with any other caps (but did notice the yellow ones) so I figured we were doing pretty well.  Again, the swim seemed to take forever and I was *done* about half way through until I was thoroughly warmed up and then started feeling good about halfway through the back side of the loop.  I take a LONG time to warm up and since we started so early I had no chance to warm up.  I got out of the water and RAN to transition and got on my bike - just before the mount I noticed another lady in my age group and eventually she got away on the bike. 

I did not remember anyone in my age group passing me on either the bike or run but I couldn't see every calf as many people had compression socks on, obscuring their numbers and AG on their legs.  The bike felt good, I definitely worked it and my goal was to keep the average above 30 kph as that would give me a 3-hour bike and I knew that was definitely do-able from my last HIM in Veracruz.  I felt like I worked hard but didn't exhaust myself.  Likewise, the first loop of the run I felt pretty good, ran the whole way and felt pretty much in control.  I was not having fun though and this was the first race I've done that I wasn't enjoying myself the whole time.  I was dying of thirst.  I had gone through my first two bottles of Perpeteum under 60km and even ate a bag of gummies.  I wasn't hungry but I was going through liquids quickly for, what seemed to me, to be an overcast and not as hot as it could have been day.  Again, I refused to throw my bottles away and instead filled my jersey pockets with empties.  I finally saw the family at the very end of the bike and got rid of those empties just before hitting transition.  They had a hard time getting from the swim start back to town.

I started feeling incredibly tired and hurting feet the 2nd run loop.  It felt like it was taking forever and I finally got to the point where I couldn't even resist walking between aid stations.  I tried negotiating with myself but even on the very last half of the last loop (only some 5km) I couldn't stop myself from walking.  I knew I wasn't going to make a 6-hour time by 15km but thought I could still come in under 6:10.  I had no idea what my transition times were but I figured they HAD to be faster than Vercruz, where I changed clothing.  Unfortunately, transitions were pretty much exactly the same.  In Veracruz, transition was very small and at Cozumel T1 was quite spread out so I guess that made a huge difference.  Afterwards I was more spent and sore than I was after the full IM last November.  I think that was the most disheartening thing.  I expected to have been faster and I was shocked at how wasted I was on the 2nd loop of the run and how totally wasted and hurting I was after the event.  Even my shoulders and arms hurt. 

So now I need to figure out why my expectations and reality were so far apart.  Nutrition was pretty good but I was about ready to hurl during the last 5km so maybe not so much.  Dunno.  Also no breakfast but I just didn't feel like it.  Just really disappointed and wondering what to change now or maybe this was just a Very Bad Race.  Hard to say...

more new things than I know what to do with

So good to see the family last night until the cockroaches starting crawling out of the baggage.  Our car is simply INFESTED with them so when Jamie and family packed up the cockroaches must have seen all the lovely luggage as perfect new homes.  I am NOT a cockroach hunter but I'm excellent at alerting to the presence of cockroaches (some might call its screaming).  I "alerted" Jesse to 3 of them crawling out of the coffee fixings he'd just brought in and he took ForFreakingEver to begin to attempt to kill them and actually gave up the hunt for the last one.  I found the last one, had him kill it and now call him COCKROACH as punishment for not acting faster (and giving up the hunt).

So for some strange reason I woke at 3 am and I was actually hoping it was close to 5 so I could get up and not worry about trying to get back to sleep.  One thing about getting old is that it is almost impossible to get back to sleep once you've awakened.  While trying to get to sleep, I started hearing the noise of a car horn outside.  I figured, even at 3 am, someone was trying to get someone's attention and tried to get back to sleep.  Unfortunately, the horn kept going off at odd intervals and for varying amounts of time. It was starting to get annoying.

Pike was awake, trying to sleep in the front room, and we both headed out into the rain to try and figure out the care it was coming from.  I was pretty sure it was the taxi across the street, though without my "eyes" in, I couldn't see and Pike was pretty sure that the taxi was empty.  Still, I figured it was the taxi and Pike suspected our car.  I couldn't imagine how it could be our van and kept looking up and down to street for the offending vehicle.

After the 100th occurrence, both Pike and I headed out into the street to definitively find the vehicle.  Not one other person was out and I figured our neighbors were likely used to this as a normal occurrence.  Heading back to the house I heard a chirp of the horn again and it sounded like it was coming from our van!  Only too soon we were quite Certain ours was the offending vehicle as the horn started and Would Not Stop.  In a panic, I jumped in the car and drove around the block, hoping to make it stop (with magic car movement?) and only succeeded in waking up everyone on 2 blocks instead of just ours.

Luckily, by this time Jamie had gotten up and it only took us about 25 hours with the horn blaring constantly, louder than I ever imagined possible, to disconnect one of the batteries (our van has 2) and shut off the damn noise.  Not one person came out of the homes lining the street to complain.  Without a car, I couldn't make the swim practice but I'm pretty sure I know the water here and I mostly wanted to do the swim just because.

So now I have LOTS of distractions to avoid thinking about what happens tomorrow.

Looking for free time

I honestly don't know what I've been thinking, expecting I can take 30 min off last year's HIM when I have no plans on how to actually ACHIEVE that.  Like maybe time will fall from the sky?  Like maybe I'll grow wings and fly on the bike and run?  Like maybe my pool is actually longer than I think and I'm strangely Very Much Faster than I think?  Yeah, those would all be lovely ways to gain time.

I decided to take the passenger ferry over to Cozumel this morning instead of waiting to go with the family on the car ferry (at 6pm) so I could get my wristband and do tomorrow's swim and boy, that passenger ferry Moves With The Waves.  I had planned to work  (cell internet) but found I had to close my eyes to stop the nausea and not vomit.  Luckily, however, I think I've managed to escape the belly virus that felled Sissy, Jamie and Ellen because it would really suck to do the triathlon puking my guts out.  So yay!  No belly sickness.  I am loving the little house we rented but we really got spoiled with our usual houses with beds for all.  The boys will have to sleep on couches here but we'll be much closer to the event action.

Thanks to my angel, Adam,  number 913, I got my trisuit and he additionally muled down 2 cans of Cytomax for Jamie.  Such a very sweet guy, I can't tell you.  We met up at paquete pickup and since he knew more or less what I look like (from the blog) he was able to pick me out of the crowd.  I don't know if I approached the area of paquete pickup wrong or what, but it was The Most Difficult place to find.  I thought I had found it twice only to find they were stores selling Iwanman crap.  Once again I totally did not fit in wiht the Iwanmen, riding up in my borrowed beach cruiser and wearing not a stitch of Iwanman-branded crap.

So now I have a dilemma.  The trisuit I ordered was not the one that arrived and I never would have purchased the one that arrived.  The fit is okay (super tight, but 2 kg away from race weight and honestly, 6-7 kg from a reasonable weight, that's what I'm going to get) but the colors are NOTHING like what I ordered.  I'm pretty sure I can't return it (assuming I can find someone to mule it back before December) if I wear it, so I'm kind of stuck.  Wear it or find something else to work.  If nothing else, this is a great distraction from the race as I've been scared to death, knowing the pain I'm going to need to through to get the time I want.  Also, the tightness of the the suit makes me flatter than a young boy and no need for a bra.  Just might be worth looking like a whale for that kind of compression.  Photo taken in the rental house in front of the Wall of Crosses.

here comes peter cottontail

Had a great ride with Jamie today.  I'm LOVING that 100km out and back to the Tulum beach.  Since the grito was yesterday (Mexican independence from Spain) I had to wear the colors.  One of the best things about the Tulum ride is the plethora of topes perfect for bunny-hopping.  AAMOF on the road back from the beach there are 5 in a row just begging to be hopped.  One of the reasons I'd never go to a tribike.  HAVE to be able to bunny hop.  The first bunny hop is at a reten by the Tulum policia.  I think they recognize me now and wait for the bunny hop and always exclaim afterwards.  The reten is set up such that everyone funnels to one lane and I have to hold back from the cars stopped before the tope before I can gather speed for the hop.  The next is at the Pemex station we get provisions at after coming back from the beach.  I always catch up to any cars that had passed me earlier and pass them as I bunny hop the tope. 

Now that I've dragged him out to the beach he's thinking about Punta Allen but that road is barely passable in a car let alone skinny tires.  We did have fun racing the marineros and the one guy riding in the back loved us chasing their truck.  Also the Adamo (saddle) is doing really well.  Although the worst of the allergic reaction has been tamed by the roids, I still have some sores that on a normal saddle would have made the ride today uncomfortable at the least.  I was very surprised to find that while I do have sit bone soreness, I was able to stay in aero until the very last kilometer today and pretty much pain free.  I'm pretty sold on this saddle and can't thank my angel enough.

I didn't have time for coffee before ride today so I added brewed coffee to my Perpeteum water bottle and Boy oh Boy did I enjoy that.  I am pretty sure I'm going to do that all the time on my longer rides.  Cuts the very little sweetness to perfection.  I really do not like sweet drinks and get the Perpeteum coffee flavored stuff but adding real coffee instead of water really makes this.

I'm a bit freaqued out about the trisuit I moved heaven and Earth to get muled down here as it will give me nowhere to hide fat rolls without wearing a shirt or jersey.  I might just throw a jersey on before the bike and another shirt before the run as I can't imagine having all this flap hanging in the wind.  I'm still 2 kg above IM weight and honestly, probably have 7 kg to lose.  Course, at my age ain't nothing tightening up so any weight I lose will just leave flapping skin and I'm not sure that would be worth it.

We have a long weekend this weekend but the kids are so unmotivated to do anything and the dog is only 3 weeks into broken hip recovery that we couldn't stay overnight anywhere that I'm announcing a dictatorship and making them all go to Bacalar tomorrow.  We'll eat at the restaurant, swim in the cenote and the laguna and then head home.  I'm going to taper this week, mainly rest the legs but swim daily and see what this old body has to offer next Sunday.  Would really like to get under 6 hours but I'm not sure where I'll get the time.  My last HIM was June 2011 in Veracruz and I think it was just under 6:30 so I have a lot of time to cut off there to make my goal and no real plans for where. 

race ready

Broken toe?  Check.  Brand new saddle?  Check.  Horrific allergic reaction all over the crotch (I don't even want to speculate how that happened, but I'm guessing goat cheese since I have hives in underarms also)?  Check.  Guess I'm ready to race.  Well, except I have Nothing To WEAR!  Right now I'm waiting on the locusts.  :)  Luckily prednisone is OTC and I'm on 25 mg today and will taper and hopefully be allergic-reaction free by next Sunday.  Gotta remember I'm allergic to goat cheese.  :)  For some reason I thought it was only cow dairy and since we only buy goat cheese when it is on super remate, it is rare to get it.  Only some 8 hours into the roids, however, and the reaction is much improved.  So I'm hopefully for tomorrow's 100 km ride.  This time Jamie's coming along.

I am STOKED to finally have found (fingers crossed) someone to bring me tri shorts.  I had purchased some lovely De Soto Forza shorts (on sale here at Swimoutlet) and had them at Merkalink on 8/20 to get imported.  I finally got the shipment a couple days ago and found the shorts had been left at the Merkalink offices as they were deemed "used" clothing and not possible to import.  ACK!  Also the girls got only tops of one swim suit and bottoms of another as the matching parts were deemed to be used.  So off I headed to the local and triathlon (and eventually even scuba) forums to find a mule.  Dayum, but mules are HARD to find in Septihambre.  FINALLY an angel offered last night, IF I could get the stuff there by Thursday.  Next week.  Yikes!  I TOTALLY spaced on the fact that the HIM is an a week.  For some reason I thought I had another one.

The way Merkalink works, I have to give them the address, they figure postage (plus an $18.00 fee for holding the merchandise they won't import), give me a number, I go to the bank, deposit the amount in their account and then they release the hounds merchandise.  Between answering emails and going to the bank and them mailing, I knew this would be at LEAST a week's worth of procedure and no hope of getting the shorts to Florida, to my helpful mule.  So I found a trisuit (only the 2nd one I've bought this year.  Maybe I'll actually get this one!) at swimoutlet.com for $90.  Pretty steep but I hope to get a lot of use out of it next year.  Today, on Saturday, I was able to confirm with them that they'll have the suit to my mule by the 19th, with only a $5.99 expedited fee.   The previous trisuit I bought (off Ebay, such a deal at $30.00) has been a no-show with MexPost along with my $35.00 Shimano bike shoes.  Maybe they'll show next year.  Who knows with MexPost.

Broken toe seems to be healing but I'm backing down the running this week and the allergic reaction is already on the wane and next week I plan an intensive swimming week and am looking forward to tomorrow's ride.  Oh, and I got even MORE new stuff with the girls swimsuits!  Another angel from a triathlon forum sent me an Adamo saddle and it was muled down by our friend George along with a new pair of running shoes.  I had PF starting to rear its ugly head in my left heel and the shoes seemed to have arrived just in time as after a 90 min run today my heel is good to go.   Jamie put the saddle on in time for Thursday's ride but I unfortunately didn't realize the reaction I had going on for today's ride and while it was uncomfortable, I didn't have the specific pain I've had before.  I'm very hopeful that tomorrow's ride, under the influence of steroids, I'll be much more comfortable.  It's like Christmas around here with all the new gear!

So I guess I should revise that list above.  New shoes?  Check.  New bras?  Check.  I am LOVING bras that aren't like jails.  I got these just for cycling as I figured I really need something SUBSTANTIAL for running, but LOVING these (or is it just the fact that I'm buying new stuff?) for running also!  New swim shirt (better than sunscreen)?  Check.  New (to me) saddle?  Check.  New shorts?  Check (and loving them.  The tempos might be on the way out).  Yup!  Definitely Christmas time.

new long ride

 I headed out for my long ride today and decided to head out to the coast at my normal turnaround instead of buying some water and/or Powerade and going back home.  I had a nice tailwind on the way out.  I knew it would come back to bite me going home though so I just enjoyed it while I could.

 I had such fun making stops and taking pictures and going out to see the water that I've decided I'm going to change my 90km ride to this 100km ride.  It can be slow going through the hotel areas but it is really worth it.  See the long braid below?

It was HOT out there today and I totally forgot to bring any Endurolytes or coco water with me.  Actually, my little coco hunter is currently off the job (so I might need to pay the big bucks to her brother to get me the coco water) and had to make due with Electrolit when I got home.  The headwind coming home KILLED me but I figured all wind is only good training.  Stomach was just not with it coming home but maybe it was just the heat.

I actually have my legs propped up on our dining room table here and the ice in my Electrolit was like heaven on earth.  I think I'm going to wait til it cools off a bit more for my run.  This was so much fun - with only 1 road to choose from the rides get boring so I need to do something to spice them up and shake them up a bit.  I think I found it!  I also took pictures off all the ruins I pass on this route, and I never get jaded no matter how many times I pass them on my bike.  Centuries later and they're still here.

I actually passed Tulum ruins also but they're so built up and touristized I'd have no chance of getting a picture. 

going with the flow

There is a reason I don't plan much.  For one thing I'm super lazy, live to procrastinate and forgetful.  So I plan in my head and figure things out but then really don't actually DO anything because, well, there really IS always mañana.  We lost out on the houses we normally stay at in Cozumel for the IM because, apparently, they now need a Real Reservation and since we didn't put money down (who does that?  not us apparently...) they didn't keep the reservation.  Ok, we rolled with that because really, what with our family, my sister's family, my folks and Nate the Great and the Amazing Kristin signing up for another year of No Respect, we needed more space.  So I found El Castillo and we're set for it.  But I really do need to get another small house for some more beds, hopefully close to El Castillo.  Yeah, I REALLY need to get on the ball for that.  I'm thinking maybe here.  Don't need anything other than just beds as we'll have the giant El Castillo for everything else.  So, IM in November, pretty much taken care of.  Maybe.  I really need to contact that hotel and get rooms reserved. 

Then I got to thinking that I probably should contact Ariel about a place to stay for the HIM in a couple weeks only to find out that he is totally booked.  ACK!  I scrambled and panicked (but didn't forget my towel) and finally found something in our price range with enough beds.  The kids will NOT share a bed (even the girls; I can understand the boys) and while it is easy to find lots of houses with 3 bedrooms, they are usually 1 full bed in each.  So I was happy to find Casa Oro and Villa Caracol, both with more than enough beds, even enough for guests but I'm not thrilled.  Casa Oro is WAAAAAY out by the airport.  We're really used to being in town, walking to the panadaria and super and loncherias but we have never stayed near the north end.  Villa Caracol charges extra for electricity.  Now, I know the corriente here is super expensive but I'm just not sure about this.  The rate structure is wacky here and we could end up paying a shit load for a small amount of corriente.  LOVE the place but I'm just not sure about the whole electricity issue.  But I really do need to decide and reserve something SOON.

I never should have made any peep about running in the last post.  After taking 2 lousy days off (sick) I have had what can only be plantar fasciitis strong pains in the left heel.  Since I don't want to frack things up for the IM I've taken the week off running and now we'll see what happens.  I've been googling and have finally decided to get back on the roads and try and do the exercises and after run care I've come up with.  It is also looking like it will only have taken a month for the Merkalink package to get here as it is now in SLP!  Wheee!  I love tracking stuff since it is so rare we get any mail of any kind.

Independence day is coming up and I need to decide whether it will be a 10K in Tulum or a vuelta in Merida (but the grito there is VERY crowded and I'm not sure we'd go to it) or I know Valladolid always has a run on the night of the Grito and their festivities are much smaller than Merida's but I'm not sure we'd find a hotel dog friendly and with his broken hip, we can't leave the dog at home.  And then I remembered that I've been wanting to run Tres Culturas forever, so maybe we'll stick close to home for Independencia and head to Acanceh for Tres Culturas.  Course this is all very dependent on the PF.

04/09/2012 03:22 PM	LAREDO TEXAS Llegada a centro de distribución
06/09/2012 09:10 AM	LAREDO TEXAS En ruta foránea hacia PCQ-Playa del Carmen
06/09/2012 11:50 AM	Nuevo Laredo En ruta foránea hacia PCQ-Playa del Carmen
07/09/2012 01:21 AM	Centro de Int. SLP En ruta foránea hacia PCQ-Playa del Carmen

Retail therapy

I got some shorts at a great price recently.  The Brooks Infinity were $9.95 at swimoutlet and I picked up those, a bra for myself and one for Sissy (her first sports bra) along with a North Face top.  I always get used sports bras off Ebay and for the same price for new I thought I'd try.  All in all, for 2 shorts, 2 bras and 1 top I spent under $50.00.  After they sat in SD for a while and I was unsuccessful finding a mule AND our last package sent down has gone missing, I decided to have Merkalink import the stuff.  I've been running in the shorts and these are my first new shorts and I don't know if it is the fact that they are new or simply the shorts themselves (having only ever purchased used off Ebay) but the liners on these shorts are AMAZING.  Nice and tight and very wicking.  I'm super impressed with the liner but compared to my Tempos, these are Short shorts.   Before today's run I took a picture of the new Infinity shorts and an old pair of Tempos.  I should have kept my shirt out for both pictures, but I still think it is obvious as to the length of the short.  So it has taken a little getting used to the shortness but boy I LOVE the liner.

I haven't yet found a short that can deal with the heat and humidity here and these shorts end up just as soaked as the Tempos even though they are made of different material.  It doesn't really bother me though as I don't expect anything can keep up with tropical conditions here.  After a medium (1 hour) run, I know my shorts and top will look like I just came out of a torrential downpour and I will soak my shoes completely through to the point that they always sit in the sun to dry out.  Speaking of shoes, I've been wearing the same pair (Brooks men Ghost and Brooks Women Glycerine) for a year now and they feel about ready to be replaced.  I'm not certain how much distance they have on them, but I've been running 15-20 hours a month since December and the Ghost is definitely feeling broken down.  I finally got a good deal on Ebay for either a new or almost new pair of Glycerine (wide men's) and have a mule bringing them down in a few days.  I actually shipped them to his mailing address and he will bring them to Mexico and Estafeta them to me.  I'm hoping to have them by the triathlon this month.  I also finally decided to bite the bullet and bring in stuff that has been waiting in SD, among them Sissy's birthday present and my triathlon shorts I hope to be using this month for the HIM.  Can't wait to try those out.  Now I just need to figure out a top and I'll be ready. 

I've been sick the last 2 days and missed my long ride this weekend and TOTALLY freaked out that I'm going to be way undertrained for the HIM this month which then leads me to believe I'm totally screwed for the IM in November.  But I have 13 weeks to the IM so I've decided to cut my losses and treat the HIM as a training day (I had hopes to beat last year's time) and ramp up my IM training instead of pissing around doing the usual lack of swim, 40-60 km rides and 5-hour runs/week.  Well, at least I've got the run on track.  And I'm going to figure out a way to race in those Infinity shorts.  I love that liner!