Even MORE gear! :)

I got a confirmation email from Nashbar today :) My stuff is on the way! YAY!

For under $100, shipping included, I got:

• One yellow sleeveless jersey
• One orange short sleeved jersey
• One long sleeved 2-tone blue jersey
• One kickstand (*BLEARGH*)
• One rearview mirror (yeah, I caved)
• One 70 oz Camelbak hydration system
• One pair of Zinetic Pocket Slippers (check these out... WAY cool!)

So, hopefully it'll all arrive before this weekend so I can practice using some of it at our mini-tri! :) Also, I need to stock up on shot blocks & clif bars and such. I should just buy a case at REI *LOL* :)

I also ordered Road ID's for my lovely wife and me, and got us some reflective strips for our helmets/bikes/etc as well :) You can never have too much reflective shit on. I have no problem with people going "Eww! Fat Yellow Biker ahead!" because at least that means they SAW ME and STOPPED! :)

Swam at one of the AHPD outdoor pools today. It was awesome. I think I liked it better than swimming inside! I managed not to burn to a crisp, which is a definite plus :) I think I should drag myself out of bed in the morning for a run/jog/wog/walk whatever. I'm sure the Stinkus would love a good run :) We'll see. I'm REALLY tired, so I might not make it up that early :)

Training

So, I survived our bike training, but one of my teammates didn't :( She sliced the back of her leg on her sprocket and needed 15 stitches. She was SUCH a trooper.
Meanwhile, here's my before, during and after of my arm wounds:

The itchiness is almost over too, which is good. It was making me CRAZY. I'm still achy, but it's getting better. It's more annoying than it is painful.

On Thursday, since I didn't get my full 12 mile ride in because I was making sure Sarah was ok, I decided that, despite my hour swim at lunch, I was going to hit the trail. So, I biked from my house to the trail, did the whole trail, and then biked to Jamba Juice. It took me a little over an hour and it was 13 miles :) Then, I walked home with my bike, and it was .9 mi door to door and I walked around 3 mph, which I know thanks to my bike computer *LOL* :) I must have looked like a nutjob, walking down the street with a Jamba Juice in one hand and my bike in the other. But oh well... I did a mini-tri in one day (even though the swim and bike were a few hours apart) so whoever felt like laughing at me could kiss my arse because I don't think they could do what I did that day! :)

I love my tri suit and I'm so glad I bought it. I can say that this will NOT be my last tri, if for no other reason than because I have invested so much $$ in gear and shit that I have to make this my new sport of choice *LOL* :) There's one in the Indiana Dunes the weekend after Labor Day, so I might have to do it. It's a little longer than the Danskin, but I think I'm game :)

Tomorrow night is hilly running. OH FREAKING GOODIE. Oh well. I gotta suck it up and do it. I know I'll be walking the last leg, but the running will be good cardio & calorie burning. I need it. I feel like a fat bloated heifer. You'd have thought I'd have lost 5-10 pounds by now... HA! Nope.

Oh well. I feel healthier. That's what counts :)

Back to work

Swam for just over an hour on Saturday. Last week was a BAD week for me training wise. But my arm is healing nicely, my new tri suit fits & works well, this Saturday is the swim clinic up at the tri-site, so I'm pretty excited. My team has been awesome, SO supportive. We had a run session on Wednesday. We did 3 miles and I did it in about 45 minutes. Not a great time, but not bad for coming off the injured reserve list. And my team was all applauding and high-fiving for me for not giving up. And then on Saturday they were all mesmerized by my injury. I laughed and said they should have seen it before it started healing!

So, gonna do the bike this week in my tri suit to see how it feels. Not sure how far/fast we're going, but all I know is that THIS time I'm going to stay in the lead or close to it. I am NOT going through this again! I'm still sore, bruised, etc.

More news as it happens :)

Hee he he he hew... Wipeout....

SO... I go to my training, and we started out at the bike shop learning how to fix some minor bike problems (fix a flat, lube a chain, etc) and then we had a lecture about bike safety and etiquette, especially when riding in a group. Then, the less experienced cyclists stayed behind to work on some drills (changing gears, sharp turns, etc) and the rest of us headed for the trail.

So, I ended up #2 in the line, which fine by me because a) only one person to see around and b) I could see and hear better as to what obstacles were ahead. We were cranking along just fine, when this one beotch with a chip on her should attitude decided that she HAD to pass me and get in front of me.

At the forest preserve, the majority of places where cyclists have to stop (there are posted stop signs and the cops will write tickets) are in the groves, and so they are usually in a clearing. Well, the ONE that we came up on was smack in the middle of all the trees right after a someone sharp bend in the road. The leader called out "Stop Sign", but I couldn't hear it. All I saw was the beotch in front of me slamming on my breaks, and since there was a 3 foot drop to my right I slammed on my breaks and went flying. Had said beotch called out "Stop Sign" immediately after the leader did, then I could have had more than a knee-jerk reaction and none of this would have happened.

Oh, and here's the kicker... She started babbling about how there was oil on the trail ("Careful! That's oil! I slipped on the oil"). Now keep in mind that this is a forest reserve trail. No motor vehicles pass on said trail, so unless there is an oil-peeing deer somewhere in those woods, it was NOT OIL. And to top that off, as everyone was fawning over me, she was like "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be fine". Ummm... not sure who she was talking to because no one was concered about her lack of injuries.

Now, there are several things I am VERY grateful for...

1. My team members (except for said beotch) ran to my side to help me. One grabbed my bike (which had flown into the left side of the path and would have been a roadblock for cyclists/bladers going the other way. Another grabbed my brand new sunglasses, which landed about 4 feet in front of me. Another grabbed a water bottle off my bike and started rinsing out my wounds. Another found a paper towel in her bag and used it to get some of dirt off the would. I have a GREAT team. Well, except for said beotch.
2. My coach, who gave me triage in the parking lot, helped me re-rack my bike, and offered to drive my car and me home and then get a ride back to the bike shop.
   
3. The visor on my helmet, which pretty much saved me from any injuries to my nose or face.
4. My ample bosom, which pretty much kept me from breaking a rib or my collarbone.
5. Most of all, my lovely wife, who started cleaning and patching me up the minute I got home and has taken good care of me ever since.

I have learned from this experience:

1. Make sure that the riders around me know that I have a hard time hearing and need to either lead or be right behind the leader.
2. Make sure that I have first aid supplies in my bike bag.
3. Make sure that everyone I ride with knows the rules and remembers to follow them.
4. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM SAID BEOTCH. For my sake, and hers. If I don't make it across the finish line because my training is derailed I will personally make sure that she reimburses me for every penny. I can't sue the training group as a company, but there is nothing that I signed that said I can't sue an individual :)

Gotta head to church.... more later.

More gear :)

Look what I got :) I'm so excited! :) It arrives in a week or so I think... Unfortunately it won't be here in time for our next swim clinic, but that's ok. I tried on the XL at REI last night and I got it on and zipped, but it wasn't very flattering. So, I ordered the XXL last night :) It's a lot lighter weight than the suit I'm wearing now, so it doesn't hold things in as well, but on the plus side, it's a LOT easier to get in and out of thanks to the zipper. It's got just a bit of padding for the bike. I'll have to see how supportive it is for the run. I might have to throw a swim bra on underneath, but hopefully I won't have to :)

I'm also going to get some open water goggles, but I really don't need those until the swim clinic up at the lake, and those I can get through the park district because we have a sponsorship deal with Tyr. I'm so excited that it's totally pathetic :)

Training is going well. I'm actually up this early because we have a bike maintenance workshop and then we head across the street to hit the bike trail at the forest preserve :) I've been in the pool a few times this week and it's getting easier each time :)

Better go prep the bike for transport :) More later!

Back in the Saddle Again

Rode my bike to and from work today. The weather was perfect and it felt SO GOOD to be on my bike again. It was also fun seeing how fast I could go now that I have my speedometer hooked up :) I can't wait to get out on the trail :)

My buns hurt though. Gotta retrain those pedaling muscles :) And despite my mega padded shorts, my butt-bone was going numb, so I think I need to play with the seat position. There's no reason that a 4 mile ride should be making my butt/lower back hurt.

Very tired... more tomorrow :)

What have I done?

So the Heart Zones payment hit my account... Even with my 10% off early sign up bonus, it's still a pretty good chunk of change. Hopefully the IRS will be quick with my prefund. It's nice that we're getting the money now, but I'm still kinda pissed that this means that NEXT year my refund will suck. Argh.

I need to get on my bike. I'm tempted to ride to work tomorrow. If my lovely wife stays home sick again tomorrow, I think I might. Only problem is, it might rain tomorrow. But I guess I better just suck it up because we'll be riding in the rain on race day of God decides to laugh at me for trying this thing.

More tomorrow.