Global warming bliss

So global warming is apparently a bad thing...but if it's to "blame" (I'd say thank) for the current july impersonation that the weather is doing this week in Seattle, I have a really REALLY hard time thinking it can be bad--I'm just running around outdoors as much as possible and charging up my solar panels. Nothing like a good healthy drought to make me a happy camper!

This morning I got in one of several amazing sunrise swims in the lake...the water was glass, the mountain was clear, and several rowers and a water skier went by about 7:00 a.m. I watched the sun come up breathing every other stroke to my left...amazing how fast that thing breaks the horizon. My swim buddy, Tatyana, and I are savoring the last few of these morning swims we'll get to have this year...wetsuits are a brilliant invention! Every day we're out there it seems we're getting away with something since the calendar says it's 3 days till October and all of our teammates have already abandoned the lake for the pool. I also had a blissful bike ride last night around Mercer Island...no arm warmers or extra layers required there, either. SWEET!

Business meets pleasure...

Today I got to work on some route development for the event I manage, the Seattle Tour de Cure. This meant being AWAY from my desk to drive and bike some potential new routes in the sunshine. Score! After getting lost in my car in Woodinville (why the hell that happens every time I go there, I don't know...I swear, it's the devil's triangle of navigation...or odd fate that the only thing I can ever find there for sure is Red Hook Brewery), my car and I wound our way up to Snohomish to meet the always-prepared map toting Jeff at 10:00. I'd heard that the River Rd. was a "must-ride" and he'd mapped out a nice flat loop from Snohomish to Everett that included it. We had a nice sunny morning bike ride, easy pace, and 18 miles with a total of 434 feet of elevation gain (RAMROD seems ancient history at this point!). Definitely added a chunk to the eventual route and am still piecing together the rest (translation: more days out of the office on my bike, brilliant, right?). What I need most is a safe, scenic, direct route from Marymoor to Snohomish. Map creaters wanted!

Still not the last lake swim...

Beee-uuutiful weekend...Tatyana and I got in yet another lake swim today and it was perfect. We saw/met 2 other swimmers out in the cove who had 2 dogs with them and one was pushing quite a pace...very cool. I smacked arms with one of the humans as we were swimming opposite directions...acres and acres of water territory out there and I smacked her just like everyone (I swear, it's not just me) does in the pool over the lane lines. Anyway...great swim and we have vowed to get at least one more in this week...it almost feels like we're getting away with something by still going in the lake this late in the season. I'm SO not done with summer :) Seujan is currently on the couch swearing about how the "damn sun is making everything so damn hot..." The defintion of perfect weather is certainly not something we agree on. She is craving more rain and clouds (WHATever). I know all too soon I'll be the one occupying the swearing position on the couch and cursing the damn cold and rain; it's just a matter of time.

The annual Cheryl-fest was this afternoon...the annual birthday party/tribute to our coach. Way fun, great slide show, creative crack-up performance (The "Wizard of abs..." this year), and TONS of great pot luck food.

Almost Monday again, dangit...my bike would like another Saturday tomorrow, please...

FALL-in' in....

I went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up and we were both lamenting the end of the summer...I was griping about spin class vs. being outdoors and she said something to the effect of, "yeah, exercise indoors...I'd rather slit my wrists..." Someone understands me! She told me of her someday travel fantasy--to take a year and literally follow the summer around the globe...she'd be heading towards Australia about now... I am fortunate to have a doctor with such brilliance and inspriational vision. What a damn fine idea...chasing the sun around the world.

All of that being said, these first 2 days of fall have actually been far from painful. Yesterday morning I got in a lake swim with Tatyana (insulated cap and neoprene socks rock) and last night Seujan and I went to Oktoberfest in Fremont with some friends (and several hundred other beer afficianados). Oktoberfest is great...you get plastic tokens which are redeemed for (many, very many) tastes of beer in a mini mug. Thus, 2 valuable illusions are achieved: (1) you don't think you are spending actual money since it's plastic and (2) you don't think you're drinking nearly as much as you are since the mug looks like a shot glass. We more than sufficiently carbo-loaded and cash un-loaded and it was a blast.

Well fueled from Oktoberfest (forgot to mention the German sausage and pretzel that went with the beers) last night, Seujan and I did the Flying Wheels/Tour de Cure 70 mile route today. It was a gorgeous day...63-73 degrees over the day and nice, sunny, blue sky. We passed lots of flower fields, pumpkin patches, and a few trees starting to show some autumn color. Great day on the bike! Seujan got a flat, but we were only a mile from the finish, so I biked to the car and came back to scoop her...it'll be much nicer for her to change the flat in the living room than on the side of the road!

Ended the day by going out to dinner and went to the movies for the first time in months. We've been out-and-about past 9 p.m. three (count 'em 1-2-3) times in the last week...look out, we're behaving like NORMAL people! Post/off season is great.

"Quarter turn, add it!"

I hate spin class. "Quarter turn, add it!" is what they must teach every spin instructor to say at spin instructor 101 training. Many of them seem to learn almost nothing else, but I swear they all master the use of "Quarter turn, add it" to graduate. They can fail music selection, clothing sense, and creating classes that resemble cycling in any way, shape or form, but they must say the mantra. Today my silent response to the overused command was, "Nope, not today, dude...unless you're talking about the calendar, in which case I'd be happy to give you THREE quarter turns and bring us back to June where we belong..." I did an interval run this morning and decided that averaging exactly my AT for spin class and hanging out in the back would be just fine.

Regardless of my slacker behavior in the class, I'm not done venting. Being at spin class almost always means that either (a) I don't have enough time to do a "real" ride outdoors on my bike, (b) that the weather sucks, or (c) both. Any of these conditions render me cranky in the first place and then it just isn't fun...bottom line. Despite the fact that I have a strong appreciation for buff gay guys (today's instructor), I couldn't even get into his combo sing-along/dialogue with Aretha Franklin during "You make me feel like a natural woman..."

I think I'm just bummed that the summer is over.

Yesterday was a long run day...well, long for me. Got in about 8 miles yesterday morning with a bit of hill action and my legs are sore today. Just a bit scary to think that my "long" runs now are less than a third of a marthon...which is less than a third of an ironman. Actually, it's the marathon stat that's more scary than the ironman one. However, some of my perspective has shifted. A few months ago, a half marathon seemed daunting and a monkey I wanted to get off my back so that MAYBE I'd feel confident to do a half ironman next year. Since I registered for Ironman, the half marathon thing got a lot smaller in my head. And...strangely enough...I sort of look forward to the long runs these days. Also got in a lift yesterday.

This morning was a good swim team workout which will probably be the only workout of the day today.

Score = Ruth: 1, Weather: 1

Seujan and I got in a 50 mile ride around Lake Washington today...despite the forecast for rain, we had an entirely dry ride (score one for us). However, had a yucky headwind in the last 15 miles (score one for weather)...overall, a good day and we both felt good on our bikes today. Yesterday was a mandatory rest day since I had to work at the ADA Walk in Tacoma, but an evening with our friends, Stacey and Shane, at Pies and Pints (emphasis on the pints!) completely salvaged the day and we had a great time.

Today's inspirational story was that of our friend, Tatyana, who did the Grand Columbian Ironman distance triathlon yesterday in eastern washington...it was her first ironman and she gave us the full race report. She kicked serious butt and had a great time, despite it being a lonely sounding race (only 10 women total did it!). Thus, another person has become part of the Iron club I want to join!

What to call the blog...

So...day 2 of my blog and I've re-named it already. This summer, I fell in love with an Amos Lee song called, "Keep it loose, keep it tight." It's kind of a mellow song that, on first listen, wouldn't seem to be one you'd put on your ipod for hard workouts or use for racing inspiration, but I really love it. While doing the last 2 races of this season, that phrase just popped into my head, especially on the run, and it just stuck and felt like the perfect mantra. Thus, it appears I have a proper theme song and title for the coming year as I want to maintain some balance...keep it loose: have fun, perhaps actually learn about recovery, rest, and tapering other than just reading about it...and keep it tight: train hard, do the work, get through the long and hard stuff.

This morning was probably the last open water swim of the summer season which is damn depressing for me as I'd prefer to live in permanent summer...we started in almost dark at 6:15 a.m. (darkness worsened by tinted goggles), but it was still a nice 54 minutes in the open water our to the yellow house and back. Planning a spin class/treadmill brick at lunchtime...another slightly depressing prospect as I've managed to avoid the dreaded spin classes for a few months now.

Next Thursday is the first day of fall and I think I will wear all black and mourn. Sigh. Seujan, conversely, is coming alive and getting more and more happy about the fall weather and the beginning of running season. I know we are perfectly matched, but our weather/season preferences are directly opposed. Fortunately, there is some time before we retire for me to convince her that snowbirding will be the ideal lifestyle for us...

Back to blogging...

So I used to be a bike tour guide and I kept a pretty cool (if I say so myself) blog with lots of photos of the places and trips I did...then, I got a "real" job and figured that photos of a cubicle and stories about staff meetings would probably be less marketable in blog-land. So I quit paying for my old domain name, gave my little camera some rest, and stopped posting. Now, however, I'm bending to some peer pressure to climb back on the blog bandwagon as I've registered for Ironman Canada 2007. Apparently, it might be worthwhile to document the approximately (ok, not approximately, exactly) 347 training days between now and then. Worthwhile to whom remains to be seen, but I think it might be worthwhile to ME so off I go...

I ended (at least I'm pretty sure I'm done) this season with the Black Hills Tri last Saturday...


It was a blast and I placed 4th in my age group...which seems to be a recurring theme when I race. My very first tri (Danskin '04) I placed 2nd in my age group and since then have gotten progressively more fit, but have never finished as high. Maybe it's a small fish/bigger pond situation, at least that's what I choose to believe. ANYWAY, I felt great last Saturday and actually thought that now, at the end of my 2nd "real" triathlon-ing year, I am a triathlete. However, on the scale of aluminum to iron, I'm very much on the aluminum end of things...haven't done a race longer than Olympic distance and have never run more than 10 miles at once. Ironman in 347 days is a BIG goal, but I'm psyched.