see the sunlight, we ain't stoppin

First palm bruise of the season. Occupational hazard of playing first base to some very talented (if erratic) infielders. Man, I love softball season.

I acquired an old wetsuit from a friend who was going to retire it. I figure I can prolong its fate for a little while longer. Ruby arrived yesterday and I also broke down and got spiffy road biking shoes with multi-release SPD cleats while I was there. The MTB shoes I have now are actually too small, I realized, which probably was contributing to some of the foot pain I was having last summer. Plus, I'd rather have the additional options to bail out of the clipless pedals once I actually start learning how to use them.

I spent most of last night after the game making the bike ready for tonight's 20 mi ride from the LBS in Bethesda. I wonder if the Groupon I have from the LBS can apply towards a bike fitting? Thank goodness this is a 'no drop' ride, because certainly my first time out is not going to go perfectly. Bike veteran and vball teammate Lindsay is going to join me. Hopefully we'll be making Thursdays a regular!

It's strange to note that I now have pretty much all the equipment I'll need to do this race, and do it well. (and maybe even look good while doing it). :)

The crazy month of May is fast approaching. The NTP schedule objectives this month include 'checking in with friends/work/family'. Good timing since I've been feeling very out of the loop with my regular friends lately. It really is hard to find that balance. Practice with that starts this weekend.
Thurs: Thirsty Thursday 20 mi ride (Bethesda-McArthur Blvd and back)
Fri: Master's swim (distance day, I will master the 100's this week, if the Thurs bike ride doesn't absolutely kill me), sushi dinner out
Sat: Can I satisfy a 45 min training run with flag football?, two bday bbq/cookouts
Sun: Bike handling clinic, and club Brick-nic on the Columbia Tri course!

Phew.



currently reading: Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Is it ever gonna be enough?

Updates in bulleted form today:

~ Pike's Peek 2011 results:

772 159/245 1866 Stephanie Bechtold 27 Bethesda MD 1:09:39 1:01:24 9:53

The results are not as spectacular as last year, but this race is really turning out to be one of my favorites in this area, for the convenience, size, and post-race amenities (though I didn't get a massage, bummer). I was experimenting with more of the 'natural running' approach- I shortened my stride and increased my turnover, and focused more on midfoot or forefoot striking. Which, for the record, felt great at the time but didn't significantly affect my overall time or resulting knee discomfort after. :( I burned out somewhere during mile 6 (probably not an awesome idea to start experimenting mid-race) and didn't finish as strongly as I would have liked. Thanks to Metric for the beat that got me thru that last mile.

~ Say hello to Ruby. She'll be joining my regular workout routine once she arrives at the store- probably late this week or early next week. I wasn't a fan of deciding without having exactly my size in the store, but I test drove one size down, and I love the SRAM Rival shifters. The only quirk (and probably why there are so many 2010's left) is that the double crank is not 'compact' but is truly a double. I don't think this will be a problem for the relatively flat DC Tri, but is definitely something I will consider upgrading for a future, more hilly tri. The all-white hoods and grips are a little annoying to my OCD self, but I can deal.

~ I went to my first Master's swim this morning. I finished about half of the planned workout. Turns out my speed while I'm actually swimming is half decent, but I am completely wasted after about 50-100m and need to stop to catch my breath. Which does not earn you friends in your lane. Is there a walk/run, couch-to-5k type program I can do for swimming?

~ A 10k race is now a training run and my upper-level co-ed Tuesday vball is now a 'rest day.' Just putting things into perspective.

earworm: Metric - Gold Guns Girls

quantitative success criteria

So last night in my yoga/pilates/core class, I could hold crow pose for 3+ seconds, a vast improvement over the previous record of 0.5 seconds. Helloooo core.

It's something that seems easy but I just haven't been able to 'get' in my last 3+ years of dabbling in the art. Turns out it's as simple as not depending on your arm strength, but trusting that your core will do all the stabilization and work for you. Sometimes it really is mind over matter.

Just had to share. That's all.

you were patient once before / but it's not like that anymore

Well, we are not furloughed today. Too bad, I could have used a day or two of unpaid vacation to recover. Fabulous weekend in NY for Komal's wedding! All the food was sooo delicious. (That includes the warm bagels and Italian pastries I brought to share at my Grandma's on Sunday. It's not a trip to NY without those.) I must've gained at least 5 lbs in Indian sweets alone :-)

Ruthie and I did get a good hour-plus session in at the hotel gym on Saturday. And since training has to resume this week I'll burn it all off anyway, right?

Pike's Peek 10k this weekend. I am trying out a new strategy for these smaller-ish races. Nothing but cross training through race day. Hopefully this pushes me to train towards my weaknesses, and not focus too much on the run. I think I am very far behind in both the swim and the bike, and June 19 is coming up soon.

So this week is:
Tues: AM swim, PM vball
Weds: AM spin
Thurs: AM spin
Fri: first AM Master's swim?
Sat: hopefully finding a beginner's ride (~12mph pace) somewhere in the area or through NTP
Sun: 10k (can I beat my PR of 9:35/mi?)



earworm: The Strokes - Under the Cover of Darkness

What is this feeling you're so sure of?

So my PT sends 'thank you' cards at the end of each treatment period, which I think is kind of a nice gesture. This one said, "Congrats on the half marathon. We would be happy to be on 'Team Stephanie' anytime. Please let us know when we can be of assistance." Notice WHEN, not IF. Propensity to get injured much?

Since yesterday was an 80 degree day sandwiched between two 40 degree days, I took my lunch break to go for a bike ride down Beach to the DC line and back. My first serious one in that I was actually trying to get somewhere in a certain amount of time, and wasn't just out for the fun of it. 15 mi in 1:20. And my aluminum frame hybrid is beating me up. And I dressed too warmly. And I ran out of water. And I think my random tree pollen issues were acting up again and I couldn't breathe. All in all not really a pleasant experience. I am working on it!

I find this incredibly amusing, though maybe not so helpful in my swim practice.

I am not getting an overwhelmingly optimistic vibe from the Post regarding the impending furlough of the federal government. I know the responsible thing to do for the country would be to have both sides agree on a budget already, but oh, the things I could do with a week of unpaid stay-cation time...