Friday Five

1. Swimming!
I finally went swimming this Wednesday for the first time in 2+ years. I only spent about 20 minutes in the pool, because I wanted to catch the spin class at the gym too.

I was either a) fast and intimidating or b) breaking some unspoken rule of pool etiquette. I say this because when I got in the pool, I talked to the other 2 sharing my lane to discuss how we were going to go about sharing. Once that was taken care of, I got to swimming, but both of the guys kept waiting at the end of the lanes and telling me to go ahead. I did a few times, but there were times when I needed to stop and catch my breath too. I lost track of how many laps I swam. I actually forgot to start counting, but it seemed like quite a few. I think I will be in excellent shape for my June triathlon.

2. Spinning
Yes, this week, I finally got over my fear and went to a spin class. I've actually gone to 2 already this week, and they were both awesome! Okay, the first one was awesome. The second one? Eh, I don't think the instructor had a good playlist or as much enthusiasm as the first one, but I made it through and sweated a lot, again.

3. Bike to Work Day
Today was Bike to Work Day. Despite the rain, I biked to work. It felt a little better than the last time I did it 2 weeks ago. Favorite part? That my commute is my workout. It's about 45 minutes each way, so that adds up to a 90 minute workout. Sweet! There were lots of "stations" set up throughout the city today, but I stopped at none. I did, however, go and claim my free Starbucks drink for cycling to work. Clearly, I have my priorities straight.

4. Reading
I have been going through a TON of books lately, but mostly because they all seemed to arrive at the library at once so they were all due back to the library at nearly the same time. Eek. Bookworm. Currently reading "Molokai" about the leper colony in Hawaii.

5. Geeky
The BF and I went to see the new Star Trek movie yesterday. When first "new" Star Trek movie came out a few years ago, I had to try really hard to convince the BF to go. Also note, I haven't seen any of the older Star Trek stuff. BF loved it. Earlier this week, BF texted me about how awesome the new movie sounded, so I bought us tickets to an early evening showing at the Pacific Science Center I-Max. Despite arriving 45 minutes early, we were still pretty far back in line. However, we still got great seats and were able to feast on some smuggled-in snacks. The movie was amazing although I'm told by the BF that I can't fully appreciate the new movie until I go back and watch one of the older ones. *Grumble. Sigh* Okay, okay.

Fun weekend plans? I'm going to see a bike race.
Have a good "beach read" suggestion? I'm vacationing in Kansas next week....
Are there any other good movies out? I'm still upset that the 2nd Hunger games movie doesn't come out until November.....

Spinning and Winning

With my first triathlon happening in just a month, I decided it was time to capitalize on those free gym classes that are included in my monthly membership fee. Since the weather here is always iffy AND because I need someone to push me harder than I would push myself, spin class seemed like a perfect option.

*Insert Spin Class Meme Here*

After checking my gym's website, I knew I could wear my bike shoes (I think this is REALLY important) and that I was supposed to bring water and a towel.

I showed up Monday evening feeling pretty nervous. Clearly, I was the newbie. I didn't quite know how my bike should be adjusted, but the instructor was nice and showed me how things should be set up.

Looking around the room as class started, I noticed that EVERYBODY (except me) had brought large towels. I brought my small little sweat towel. All I can say is, "What was I thinking?". I know that I sweat a lot when exercising, but I didn't want to embarrass myself by bringing an enormous towel to class. I also didn't know any better. Now I know.

Spin class was awesome. I loved it. Rolling hills, sprints, challenges, and an instructor with a similar taste in music. Seriously awesome. Note that when the BF reads this, he will be rolling his eyes at those previous few sentences thinking, "Great. OF COURSE, she finds the most opposite way to like cycling. Inside, in a gym, with annoying pop rock music, imaginary hills, and pretend gears." Yep, sorry.

The only downside to the class was how sweaty I got. I was visibly sweaty after the first ten minutes and soaked by the end. Gross, I know. Get over it. Meanwhile, some of the other girls in the class seemed to be working just as hard, and all they had to show for it were rosy cheeks. One of the girls even had perfect hair (including bangs), and she still looked perfect at the end. All I could think is, "Who are you? What is wrong with your genetics? Why aren't you sweating?". I know that I will never come out of an exercise class looking that fresh. Oh well. On the plus side, I probably lost a pound or two from all the sweat.

After class, I changed into my running shoes and did my first brick of the year - getting 2 miles of running done on the treadmill. I'm on a roll!

I will be going back and attending spin class several times a week. Right now, I think 3x/week is ideal. I think tomorrow will be a swim and spin day. Wish me luck. I need to find all my pool things tonight so I have no excuses to not do it tomorrow.

Ever tried a spin class?
Ideas for a good swim workout?
Ever wish Hal Higdon had a triathlon training plan?

About That Goal I Had.....

Have you seen my blog?

No, seriously, have you seen it?

Scroll up. Read the byline under my blog title.

Remember when I said I wanted to do a triathlon? Of course you don't. My parents and the BF were the only ones reading this blog when I started it 3 years ago. Up until last year, the address for my blog included "tri-lindsayonthego". I then changed my domain to be easier to say and remember but also, so that I wouldn't be reminded of how I still hadn't completed the goal of doing a triathlon 2+ years after saying that I would.

What has stopped me? Fear, mostly. Laziness a little.  Registration fees a bit too. I could not (and still cannot) picture the transition between swimming and biking. This is why I've made it up to at least doing duathlons. The run-bike-run transitions makes sense. Of course, there are a million YouTube videos and online forums describing/showing/giving advice on the swim/bike transition, but still I avoided it.

Well, the time has come. I am officially signed up for the Dilletante Womens' Triathlon next month. I won a free entry from Erika which was a further sign that it was about time I complete this goal.

I kicked off my training this weekend with a 30 mile out-and-back bike ride on the Burke Gilman this weekend. I will be supplementing the longer rides with spin class and some shorter, hilly neighborhood routes when I feel confident.

I am supposed to start swimming this week. This is probably more important than cycling or running. I haven't been swimming in over a year. Probably two if I'm honest. The swim course is short, but I really need to relearn how to swim before next month.

Tips for not drowning?
What was your first triathlon like?
How do you wear a wetsuit? And how do you get out of one?
How often do you change the appearance of your blog? Me - Apparently never. 

Tacoma City Half Marathon Recap

Several weeks ago, I finally started to plan my racing season for the year (kind of). I looked around and found several half marathons that caught my eye. One of these days, I'll actually update my "Races & Results" page...

Anyways, as someone looking for some pretty inexpensive races to enter that still gave out finisher's medals (yes, that's my requirement for the year...), I was considering doing the Run2Educate Half Marathon on Sunday which was held in Auburn. I briefly looked at the Tacoma City Half Marathon, but I thought it was on Saturday, which was out because of my phlebotomy class.

Guess what? I was wrong. That or I can't read calendars right. After Nicole corrected me and found out that I was considering another half marathon, she peer-pressured convinced me to run the Tacoma City Half Marathon instead. The medal also convinced me - it's half of a "full" medal. For proper pairing, I needed to run it this year to complete it next year (yes, look at me. I already have a race planned for 2014).

I made up my mind early last week, but like an idiot, I missed their 10PM online registration deadline. The price for my idiocy was an additional $10 for last-gasp registration at the Expo. (Bonus: I got to see and chat with RunningOnEaglesWings at the expo)

The day before the race was a pretty hectic one for me. I had my last day of phlebotomy class, and I had to make up an exam and get extra blood draws in because I missed last weekend's class due to a family emergency. Also, because I needed to get extra blood draws, I had to allow a lot of my classmates to practice on me. :-/ Not sure that letting unqualified people stab you with needles is a great idea for the day before a race. Also, I spent a lot of time wondering what exactly I was going to carry with me on the course. Should I carry my hydration pack? Do I need my glucose meter on the course? Could I just carry a gel flask in my hand? Will having something in my hand annoy me?

Eventually, I figured out my plan. After an extra early wakeup (4:45 AM to drive to Tacoma for the 7 AM start), I had a nice cup of coffee and some oatmeal. I packed my things and headed down to Tacoma. On the way, I was drinking from my water bottle because I felt a little dehydrated. As soon as I exited the freeway, I was struck with the urge to "go". I figured I could find quick parking, book it to the race port-o-potties, and run back to my car for final prep. WRONG! Parking was not as easy as I hoped. I stuffed my gear check bag with my race prep stuff as fast as possible and hurriedly made my way to the race start. On my walk there, I passed some bushes that I seriously considered "using" for a moment, except that there were other racers walking by. I finally made it to the race start only to find that the port-o-potty lines were 50-70 people long. There were maybe 12-16 port-o-potties total. What?!?! Not enough.

Trying to be polite, I found the end of what looked like the shortest line there was. I kept telling myself to stay strong and to keep control of my bladder. I waited for 5 agonizing minutes. The line moved maybe 3 feet in those 5 minutes. My bladder actually began to hurt, and I started to fear that I would pee my pants. The woman next to me in line was bouncing up and down as her race warmup, and just watching her made me uncomfortable. I couldn't handle it anymore.

I asked the lady next to me if she would hold my spot. I dislike people who cut in line and usually a very patient person, but my bladder situation was about to turn into an emergency. I pleaded my case with the people at the front of the line (and yes, I told them that I was about to pee my pants, and I would be so grateful if they would let me go ahead. Peeing one's pants is not the ideal way to start a race morning. I also turned VERY RED while telling them this - yay for public humiliation/embarrassment). They were very gracious about it and let me go ahead. Ahhhh. Crisis averted. (And I will be emailing TCM to tell them that they need way more port-o-potties next year).

I had just enough time after that to check my blood sugar (a perfect pre-race 180 mg/dL), let my Garmin find satellites, apply sunscreen, check my gear, and eat part of a banana before I needed to get into the starting corral. After the national anthem and a moment of silence for the Boston Marathon victims, we were off.

I was under-trained for this race, and my major goal was to finish it in under 2:10. I had previous plans to do a quick buildup for the half, but they went out the window when I unexpectedly had to drive back and spend a week in Montana. Oops. I shadowed the 2-hour pacer for the first couple of miles, but fell back when I realized that I was pushing too hard.

The course was mostly flat (minus a couple of overpass hills at the beginning and end). The weather was warm (and getting warmer by the minute), and the sun was out in full force. I carried only a gel flask and a package of Margarita Shot Blocks (very Cinco de Mayo appropriate) with me, but after about 5 miles, I got really annoyed with carrying the shot blocks and left them on the side of the road. I was planning to grab them on the way back, but I decided I would rather waste them than carry them back to the finish when I ran  by them again. Course support was iffy- the water stops were good, but I was expecting to see a few medical aid tents and some Gu out for the full marathoners on the last 6.6ish mile stretch. Nothing - just water and Nuun. I was really glad to have my gel flask with me, because had I relied on the aid stations, I would have been in serious trouble.

It took me a while to get into running groove, and once I did, my feet decided to start getting blisters. It was frustrating to say the least. By mile 10, my feet felt like they were on fire. Walking breaks were a relief, but I knew that the sooner I reached the finish line, the sooner it would be over.

I was feeling pretty good when the finish line came into sight. I was happy to be done for the day. Nicole had  previously "dibs-ed" medal-ing me as she, Becky, and Robyn were all volunteer medal-ers at the finish line. Nicole said that I should probably run across the line screaming "Niiiiccccooooolllleee!!" so she would know I was coming, and I had visions of fighting of volunteers trying to put a medal around my neck until I found Nicole, but I saw her as I was crossing the finish line, so there was no need to yell or fight off the other volunteers. It was awesome to see friendly faces at the finish.

Nicole medal-ing me. Thanks to Becky for the photo!

The BF even drove down to see me finish the race and met me at the end of the finishing chute. The first thing I told him was "I want my flip flops!!". Subsequently, my flip flops were in my car, so after I claimed my gear, he followed me as I painfully walked the several blocks to my car. And then? The BF laughed at my cushy flip flops. Um, hello?! What else would you put on your feet after running a long race?

Post-race photo as captured by the BF.
I apologize for the blinding white - I clearly don't see the sun very often.

Then, I followed the BF to his car as he had brought me chocolate milk - the greatest of all recovery drinks after a long, hard workout. It was excellent, and he chauffeured me back to my own vehicle so I could drive home. So nice!

I spent the rest of the day reading a book and lounging around. As a reward, I walked to Red Mill with the BF for a very delicious burger and onion rings (also an additional 2 miles of walking added to the day - go me *pats self on back*).

Mmm....burgers

And the boring runner details for those who are curious:
Mile Splits:
1 - 8:31
2 - 8:44
3 - 9:20
4 - 9:27
5 - 9:54
6 - 9:31
7 - 9:20
8 - 9:30
9 - 10:08
10 - 10:23
11 - 10:11
12 - 10:25
13 - 10:45

Results -
Time: 2:09:43
Overall: 483rd / 1049
Females: 243rd / 661
Division: 27th / 60

Do you have a special pair of shoes for post-race? What are they?
Have you volunteered at a race? Clearly, I need to.
Is there a runner:port-o-potty formula for Race Directors?

7 Years

Yesterday marked 7 years of living with Type 1 Diabetes. Here is a breakdown by the numbers:

Days with Type 1 Diabetes: 2,557
Units of Insulin Used (Assuming Average of 35 u/day): 89,495
Number of Finger Sticks: 23,013
Days on Multiple Daily Injections: 855
Number of Shots: 5325
Days on an Insulin Pump: 1,697
Number of Site Changes: 621

I didn't do anything special to celebrate yesterday, but I did say a little prayer of thanks for still being in relatively good health and for the friends, family, and support I've found that help me through the ups and downs of living with a chronic illness.

Five Things Friday

Wow. Did March even happen? I mean, I think it did, but I feel like I blinked once and it was over.

1. I re-started my Run Streak, but it's over again. I lasted 18 days this time. I made it up to Easter. It all fell apart the day after when I had to go to my full time job, go home and attempt to nap, and then shadow a Physician Assistant whose shift started at 11 PM. I could have gone running in between, but zombie-Lindsay is neither nice nor functional.

The run streak was good while it lasted, but my shins were getting twingy and painful near the end which means I am being smart and avoiding injury by not running.

2 weeks ago, on Saturday, I went with the BF out to the Olympic Peninsula. He raced his bike while I ran. I think I had more fun.

Sun, mountains, and bikes make for some great scenery on my long run

Yak! - I had a peek down into the Olympic Game Farm

Beautiful Pond - Seen just before the end of my run

And we ended the day with a beautiful beach adventure:

2. Physician Assistant School
Sadly, I did not get into Physician Assistant school this year. The interview I had with Idaho State University was tough, but the feedback that I received said I was a good candidate, just not good enough. So, I am making plans to be a much better applicant next year - getting more shadowing time, volunteering hours, and hopefully patient care experience. The next 5 weeks, I will be taking a phlebotomy course in hopes it will help me land a part time patient care job.

3. New Job
I've been in my new lab position for just a bit more than a month, and I'm loving it. Of course, I still feel a little lost and don't always quite understand why I'm running an experiment, but I'm learning a lot, and I'm kept pretty busy. Oh, and I finally get to do "cool" science:

These are cells that have been transfected with GFP (green fluorescent protein).

4. New Shoes
I'm still holding out on buying a new pair of running shoes. My PureConnects need to be retired, but last week I saw these shoes, and I HAD to have them. Fun fact: I own 8 pairs of running shoes but only 2 pairs of high heels....

5. Best book I've read this year:
I read "The Fault in Our Stars" last month after being on SPL's waiting list forever. It was worth the wait. The book is beautifully written, and the plot is really engaging. I rarely re-read books, but I would easily go back and re-read this one.

What's the best book that you've read lately?
What are you looking forward to in April?

When Magic 8 Balls Are Used to Make Decisions - A Race Report

I am, apparently, the queen of being indecisive about races this year. Will I do it? Won't I do it? Yes? No? Maybe?

A local half marathon happened this weekend. A LOT of people from the Seattle Green Lake Running Group were doing it. By "a lot", I mean more than a hundred. A bunch of Bloggers and Twitterers were running it too.

I couldn't make up my mind. Dumbly, my running group had been doing weekly buildup runs for this race, but I skipped out on some of the longer ones since I wasn't quite planning to do the race. Then I got sick. While I was fighting my cold last weekend, the race sold out. Oops. Decision made, right? Wrong. A runner friend (who is much more decisive than I am) had signed up during Early Bird Registration. However, lots of things came up, and she could no longer use her bib. She offered it up to me.

Then, I was faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to take the bib. I was still a little nervous about it - I'm a goody two-shoes, and I am known for following rules. I have previously run with someone else's bib (albeit a local 5k that was much more about mustaches than about finishing times), but never a "serious" race with finisher's medals and the possibility of medical issues. :-/

I debated and finally asked the Magic 8 Ball (online, of course - I didn't have a real one handy).

 

So, decision made.

There are several arguments as to why not use someone else's bib - you can skew age group data (say I bought the bib from a 70-yr old man - I would have "lost" the timing chip if that were the case). Medical issues can arise, and then they don't have the right emergency contact info. Not great.

I know the Magic 8 Ball decided for me, but I was also ok because: 1) I highly doubted that I would be having a medical emergency (I keep my medical issues tightly under control). 2) The age group I was running in has notoriously fast women, and I wasn't planning on a PR.

ANYways, Saturday morning (bright and early) of course, I woke up, had oatmeal and coffee, and drove to the race start. Luckily, I was really ahead of schedule and didn't get stuck in the major race traffic that everyone else got caught up in.

I met up with the Seattle Green Lake Running Group for a pre-race cheer, photo, and finding of pace buddies. I already knew that my friend, L, actually had a game plan for the half marathon as well as pace similar to mine. Clearly, I wasn't planning for much having just gotten over a cold and being slightly under-trained for it. It was freezing at the start, and I was not very thrilled by the 15-minute delay of the start time (although I am glad that those who were stuck in traffic were able to run the race). I saw a lot of people at the start, but I wandered back to where L was. It took us almost 5 minutes to cross the start line after the gun went off, and we spent the entire race passing people. Note - next year, pick a faster pace group.

 

The race itself was mostly uneventful. The trail was PACKED with runners, but I was able to move around and get ahead when needed. I stopped to walk at mile 5 to check my blood sugar (105 mg/dL) and eat a gel. I walked through 2 water stations. The rest of the time was spent running. The worst part of the race was the end. We reached the park with 2 MILES left to go. 2 MILES!!! The course wound in a seemingly endless back and forth. I was so ready to be done already, but I could see all the back and forths I had to do before getting there.

At Mile 1.5 - Thanks to Woodinville Bicycle for the lovely photo

Right Before the Finish -
Another thanks to Woodinville Bicycle for the photo & the cheer.
(I knew the guy taking the photos)

Despite the back-and-forth, the race turned out beautifully. I struggled a bit, but I finished. (Hurrah!). Another running group lady stuck with L and me resulting in an 18-minute PR for her. The sun came out. The BF was at the finish line waiting for me and cheering me on. Success!!

My Running Friend, L, and Me

So, what happens when you ask a Magic 8 Ball to make decisions for you? Sometimes, it turns out to be ok. Post-race, my legs were pretty sore, but some ibuprofen and ice took care of that. After running that half, I can barely believe that 6 months ago, I was running for 7 hours straight. Eek. Well, this half marathon helped to lift my spirit and has me looking for what races to do next.

Was it ok that I used someone else's bib for a race?
Have you ever run a race with bad course design?