An Eventful Saturday

So here's how my weekend panned out:

• Treasure Island -- last open water swim before leaving for Hawaii


• Bike drop off -- bike shipped to Hawaii


• Bingo for a Cure!

Treasure Island Swim

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was a little apprehensive about the Treasure Island swim. It was my last open water swim in the Bay Area before leaving for Hawaii and in my mind, it would be an indication of how I would do during the actual event.

When I got to our meeting location at 7:30am, the sun was shining...it was another beautiful day in the Bay Area. I was the first person there, so I decided to check out the "swim spot" which was a cove with several boats docked and there was a beach area. The water looked calm, not at all menacing as it looked from the Bay Bridge. My other teammates and coaches started to show up and at around 8am, our coach said "ok, everyone in your wetsuits!" As I struggled to get into my wetsuit, I was thinking "thank God I don't have to wear this thing in Hawaii!" -- but then I soon realized that this thing actually helps me float (and we all know that I need all the help I can get!) and could provide me with some protection from the dreaded jellyfish (in case they are any straggler jellyfish wandering around the swim area) -- so maybe it was not such a good thing that I wouldn't be wearing it in Hawaii :\

When we were all ready for our swim, our coach gave us the usual spiel -- he told us where we would be swimming and what to expect: it will be cold...it will be salty...it will be murky...it will be a little slippery as you walk into the water because of the seaweed...there *might* be some jellyfish out there...wait...did he just say jellyfish?!?!?! Hold on...the jellyfish are supposed to be in Hawaii, not here in the Bay...AND they are supposedly canceling our swim in Hawaii because of the possibility of jellyfish...and now he wants us to swim in the Bay where there also *might* be jellyfish...really?!?! Am I on Candid Camera or something?!?! Coach told us to not worry about it too much because it would be rare to even see any (yeah, easy for him to say, he's on a kayak!)

I had heard from my friend on the IronTeam a couple of weeks ago that there might be some jellyfish in Aquatic Park -- I wasn't prepared for jellyfish on Treasure Island...So not only did I have to worry about swimming (ie, not drowning) -- I also had to worry about the possibility of jellyfish stinging me...great...

We walked to the beach area and the coach went over our route again -- we were to swim between and around the docked boats -- it was like an obstacle course. Then he told us to start. I, as usual, stayed back and was the last one in the water. Before I got in, the coach that usually swims with me told me that he wouldn't be in the water, but he would be in the kayak and if I needed him to raise my arm -- and I told him that if I needed help, he along with everyone else in the water (and on the boats for that matter), would clearly know (flailing arms and frantic water splashing would be the indicator that I needed help)! Walking into the water was a feat in and of itself -- the water was cold (of course), and the ground beneath was squishy, like quicksand (not that I would know what quicksand feels like) and every step I took, I felt like I was sinking...and there was seaweed everywhere! When the water got to right above my waist, I decided to "attempt" to swim...first I just stuck my face in the water -- and immediately took it out -- the water was really cold -- it took my breath away...that was the first indication that I was going to have problems during the swim. So for about 10 mins, I was just treading water, sticking my face in it every so often so I could get acclimated to the cold...then I tried to swim again --but again, the cold water was making it difficult to breathe...so back to the basics -- blowing bubbles...I did this for a few minutes, and tried to swim again. And I actually took about 20 strokes this time -- granted it was a "struggle-swim", but hey, it got me that much closer to the turnaround point! So I tried again with a goal to take more strokes than the last -- and just when I was getting comfortable, at close to 30 strokes, I panicked -- I thought I saw a jellyfish! So I immediately got my face out of the water and gasped for air...and just my luck, the coach was in front of me in the kayak. "Good job!" he said. Wait, did he just say good job -- clearly, he didn't sense or see the panic on my face. I told him I saw a jellyfish and he looked at me and said, "there's no jellyfish -- that's just bubbles you're making from your stroke." Oh, that made sense :-) After that assurance from the coach, I continued on...I got into a rhythm a few times, but I also struggled a few times too -- I just couldn't get my mind past the jellyfish...I was finally getting close to shore, and one of the other coaches on the kayak kept yelling to me "swim until your hand touches the ground" -- so I did. Finally, after about 25 mins in that cold, murky, jellyfish-infested (ok, so I'm exaggerating about that -- but I swear I saw one!) bay water, I made it to shore!

Whew -- 5 down, one more open water swim left -- in the warm, clear waters of Hawaii (and hopefully NO JELLYFISH!) Wish me luck!

Bingo for a Cure!

Bingo was a success! Thanks to everyone who made it out...especially to my ROCK STAR volunteers! It was definitely a lot of work, but I think everyone had a good time -- at the end of the day, it was all for a good cause -- to help find a cure for blood cancers...to help save lives!

Special Announcement

(from: http://www.honolulutriathlon.com/)

Special Announcement

We have announced previously that the decision would be made to change the race to a Duathlon if necessary, based on the credible possibility of a large jellyfish infestation in the swim area on race day. We are now ten days before race day and have decided to continue monitoring the situation before making the final decision. While we would much prefer that the event remain a Triathlon, our utmost priority is the safety of our athletes. We will continue to collect the latest information and analysis and will announce our final decision on Friday, May 15th at 12:00 p.m. PST, on this website, in an email to athletes, and at the event prior to the race.

If the decision is made to cancel the swim, the race format will be:

Olympic - 5k run, 40k bike, 10k run.
Sprint - 3k run, 20k bike, 5k run,
Youth & Youth Elite - 1.2k run, 10k bike, 2.5k run.

This Duathlon course meets the standards set by USA Triathlon. We would offer the swim portion on Saturday May 16th at 4:00 p.m. PST as a separate race, FREE to those who register for the Triathlon. Thank you for your patience and continued support of this event. Click here to see the Duathlon maps.

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I can't believe I'm saying this, but....damn those jellyfish! I've prepared for a triathlon...and I want to use/put to the test my newly acquired triathlon skills in Hawaii! Hmph :|

Got Plans for the Weekend?

A lot of things going on this weekend...if you want to join me -- feel free! ;-)


Treasure Island Swim?!?!
This Saturday is an open water swim -- the last one before we leave for our event next week...YIKES! And to make things even more exciting, the swim is going to be at Treasure Island...double YIKES! I have no idea what to expect at Treasure Island -- but I am crossing my fingers (and toes!) that all goes well -- because in just about a week, it'll be race day...and by that time, if I'm still apprehensive about open water swimming -- I'm going to need more than luck to get me through...I'm going to need a miracle!!!



BINGO for a CURE! This Saturday, May 9th!

$25 buy-in includes 4 early bird (with a chance to win $150/game) and 16 regular games (with a chance to win $250/game).
Doors open at 4 p.m.; early bird games start at 6 p.m.; regular games start at 7 p.m.

- Don't miss the snack bar with Jamba Juice & Mecca Burritos!
- Slam with a chance to win $500
- Flashboards
- Raffle (win a Kodak Camera, IPod Shuffle, Spa Massage + more!)

And remember...it's for a good cause...so help save lives...BINGO for a CURE!

Hope to see you there...maybe you'll even get to yell BINGO!

15 DAYS...AND COUNTING!

That's right -- 15 days until I leave for the triathlon! Exciting and scary at the same time...Exciting because this is my FIRST triathlon...Scary because it is my FIRST triathlon and the JELLYFISH are still out there!

Thanks to everyone for all your encouragement and support during the past few months -- I have accomplished so much in terms of my fitness goals and confidence levels. Many thanks for helping to boost my confidence in my abilities by continuing to read my blog posts!

And...for those of you who wish to show your support via a donation -- I would greatly appreciate that too! Please click on this link to make a donation for this amazing cause -- to help find a cure!

All the best in all that you endeavor to accomplish...
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Lake Del Valle (Take 2 ) + Half Marathon

Last Saturday was open water swim attempt #4...at the infamous Lake Del Valle. And on Sunday I ran a half marathon in Santa Cruz -- yes, it was a busy weekend!

Open water swim #4
Because my first attempt at Lake Del Valle was disastrous -- I was of course expecting nothing more than that...yeah, so much for positive thinking...but I was going into this open water swim with some good thoughts: I did do well in Aquatic Park and the last couple of weeks I was able to complete my weekly swim workouts as prescribed by the coach -- so there was some light at the end of the tunnel...but that light got quite dim as I stepped into the murky Lake Del Valle for the second time.

I have to say, the water was not as cold as it was the first time...but it was cold nonetheless. Equipped with my swim "booties" the cold water didn't affect me too much as I walked into the lake...it was when I stuck my face in the water that I experienced deja vu -- not being able to breath properly with each stroke, hyperventilating, gulping air, stomach full of air, not being able to burp... wait, isn't this the exact same thing that happened to me last time I was in this stupid lake?!?! One of the coaches kept trying to get me to calm down and take some strokes, and I kept telling him that I wanted to swim but the uncomforatble feeling of a stomach full of air was preventing me from breathing properly. Finally after about 15 mins of struggle-swimming (yes, that's the technical term for my type of swimming, lol!) I was able to let out a loud and long overdue burp...and when I let it out, one of the coaches said "was that you?" -- yes, that was me, and boy did it feel great! As soon as I let that burp out, I started swimming, like nothing was ever wrong. I swam back to shore faster than I swam out and felt as comfortable as I did in Aquatic Park -- amazing what a burp can do to build one's confidence!

So, to rate this swim attempt -- I would call it a partial success. The swim out was a struggle-swim, but the swim back to shore was a success! (Aha moment: it is possible to burp while you're in the water -- just wait for it!) ;-)

Santa Cruz Half Marathon (yes, that's 13.1 miles)
After the swim at Lake Del Valle, Jimmy and I drove to Santa Cruz. It was a beautiful day and the forecast for Sunday, the day of the marathon, was 90 degrees! For triathlon training, I really hadn't concentrated much on running, just because I knew I could run long distances, so I wasn't too worried about the running portion. The longest distance that I've run during triathlon training was just about 5 miles. But because I was cross-training with the swimming and cycling, I wasn't too worried about running a half marathon. One of my running buddies from TNT, Veronica, ran the half marathon with me -- it's great running with her because we're the same pace and it's always nice to run with someone on race day.

The day of the race, it was a beautiful morning, the sun was out -- it was going to be a hot one! And sure enough, by about 9am, it got quite hot -- so hot that at a couple of the aid stations towards the end of the race, I was dumping the water on my head rather than drinking it! And one of the workers the aid station had a garden hose and was hosing runners off as they ran past -- brilliant idea -- it was much needed! During the race, the scenery was beautiful all along West Cliff Drive. We paced ourselves pretty well and finished in the time we expected. It was definitely a great race, one that I will likely do again. 13.1 miles = done!

(crossing the finish line on the beach!)

BINGO FOR A CURE!

Play Bingo...Have fun...
Raise money for an amazing cause...it's that easy!

3rd time's a charm!

Yesterday was our 3rd open water swim training -- it was at Aquatic Park in San Francisco, yes, the cold SF Bay/Pacific Ocean. Aquatic Park is home to the Dolphin Swim Club of San Francisco (aka, the crazy swimmers that swim in the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay...year round!) and according to their website the water temperature in Aquatic Park vary from about 50 F in January to about 61 F in September. If you've read my other open water swim posts, you know just how much I just love swimming in cold water -- NOT! So this 3rd attempt at open water swimming was definitely going to be a challenge...

When I got to Aquatic Park at 7:30am, it was actually sunny and not as cold as I had expected, that is, if you were standing in the sun, otherwise, it was quite cold in the shade -- but having lived in the city for several years, there was good indication that it was going to be a beautiful day: the sun was out, and the skies were clear so that you could actually see the GG and Bay bridges. When I met up with team, a few of my teammates were staring at the water where we were about swim -- this was our first "ocean" open water swim this season -- so, many of us weren't quite sure what to expect. After we got into our wetsuits, our coach told us to swim for about 45 mins or 3 laps from buoy to buoy (3 laps? yeah, sure, I'll be lucky to get from buoy to buoy!) He also told us that if you're one that takes in a lot of water when you swim (that would be me) to expect and be prepared to take in the salty water...but the salt in the water would also give you more buoyancy (buoyancy is a good thing in my book, it means you won't drown!) So armed with that knowledge, we all walked onto to the beach and took off into the deep blue of the Pacific...

Well, most of us took off...I slowly walked into the water...when it got to about chest deep, I stopped. It was cold. I was looking around for any of the coaches to make sure someone was going to stay with me -- I had a coach with me at every open water swim, you know, just in case I totally freaked out and needed to be rescued, drug onto shore and resuscitated...just in case....So as everyone took off, I just stood there in the water trying to acclimate to the cold water…after about 5 mins, one of the coaches handed me a snorkel and told me to use the snorkel to breath. But that was unsuccessful. The snorkel actually made it more difficult to breathe because now I had to learn how to breathe using the snorkel – and I already had issues breathing without it – not helpful. So I gave up the snorkel idea, onto Plan B. The coach then told me to just dunk my head a few times in the water and just blow out bubbles (again, back to the basics). After doing that a few times, I started to feel a bit more comfortable or maybe it was the numbness starting to set in? After about 10 mins of “blowing bubbles” in the water, my face and my hands started to get numb – I couldn’t feel them, but most of all, I couldn’t feel the “cold” water anymore – this was actually the best thing that could have happened. The fact that the cold water wasn’t bothering me anymore allowed me to concentrate on other things…like trying to swim! So I took a few strokes and was actually able to breathe properly without gulping in air as I had done in my previous open water swims. As unbelievable as it may sound, (dare I say) I was actually getting pretty comfortable in the ocean! The coach then told me to try to take 12 strokes – so I did. Easy peasy. Then, 14 strokes. Piece of cake. Then, 16 strokes. Even better, how about 22 strokes! I then went from 22 strokes to 28, then from 28 to 33, then 33 to 38 strokes. After about 3 sets of 38 strokes, I had made it to one end – and boy, was I exhausted! Now I just had to swim back...but that wasn't too bad. Even though I was exhausted, I was still able to stay calm and with the help of my coach, make it back to the other end without too many issues. Although the “forces” no longer against me, there was a new issue – swimming efficiently. I definitely have a lot of work to do when it comes to swimming efficiently – but I'll worry about that later...the fact that I swam in the ocean, could breath properly, didn't have a bloated stomach that made me want to burp with every stroke, and was able to keep both contacts in my eyes -- I would say that this swim attempt was a success!
It was a good day =)

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Danette's Open Water Swim tally:

* Swim attempt #1 = failed...miserably...
* Swim attempt #2 = getting there...
* Swim attempt #3 = success...finally! =) Woohoo!

What do you mean there's jellyfish in the water??!?!

When you see this sign -- that means get the hell out of the water or risk being stung by a jelly fish! (or it could also mean, beware of the life size jellyfish -- but in either case, it's not a good sign!)


So I received the following email this afternoon from one of the Team in Training managers:

Honolulu TNT Triathletes!

I was just informed of a situation with the Honolulu Triathlon and would like to make you aware. Honolulu city officials informed us that Box Jelly Fish are currently arriving on shore 24 hours ahead of their normal arrival dates after a full moon. As a result, the jelly fish are due to arrive on May 17, the day of the triathlon. Because safety is the primary concern of the race director, the swim portion only of the triathlon may be rescheduled to Saturday, May 16, if conditions do not change. It will still be an official, time recorded swim. On Sunday, the triathlon would be changed to a duathlon.

Here is the latest information from the Honolulu Triathlon website:

Based on credible information from professional and reliable sources, there is a strong possibility of a large infestation of jellyfish disrupting the swim portion of this event on race day, Sunday May 17th. If the status of the jellyfish does not change we will offer a Duathlon for the following events: Olympic - 5k run, 40k bike, 10k run. Sprint - 3k run, 20k bike. We will also offer the swim portion the day before, Saturday May 16th. This will be FREE to those who register for the Triathlon. This website will be updated to reflect the change. We will closely monitor the situation and provide updates. Click here for more information.

No matter what, there will be a race and TNT will participate. While it may or may not be the race you originally thought you would do, ask any of our honorees and they will tell you that life is full of uncertainties, challenges, and unexpected events. But you persevere and make each challenge your own triumph. If the swim portion of the event changes, yes, you may be disappointed. But think of your honorees and what they may do in the face of any sudden changes or disappointments. I will keep you updated with the most current information, as I receive it.

GO TEAM!

As soon as I read this email, the following thoughts went racing through my head:

• Jellyfish?!?!?! In the water where I'm supposed to swim?!?!?!
• Wait, I may not have to SWIM?!?!? My prayers have been answered!
  
• I can do a duathlon!
• Wait, is this an April fool's joke?!?!

Then I went to the Honolulu Triathlon website and sure enough, at the top of the homepage -- a "Special Announcement" with all the information that our Manager sent us.

One could take this to be a blessing in disguise...Jellyfish = no swim...Can you guess what I'll be praying for? :-)

Training Weekend @ Lake San AntonioPart 3: We're Not in Kansas Anymore...But I Will Survive!

So I last left off with the forces of nature waking me up at 2am...

Well, backing up to 8:30pm on Saturday night...it was cold and it sprinkled for a few minutes. And we knew that the forecast called for rain on Sunday morning -- we just didn't know when on Sunday morning. So at 2am, as I am comfortably sound asleep in my sleeping bag -- all of the sudden I hear a howling wind, followed by a torrential downpour of rain -- this combo went on for a a good 20 minutes, then it started to die down...but then an hour or so later, it started back up again...only this time even more fierce than the last. None of this would have bothered me, except that the wind kept getting stronger and louder...the last thing I needed was for my tent to get blown away...all I could hear in my head was "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" and my tent would be 100 ft away from its original spot...landing on someone else's tent!

So needless to say, I didn't sleep very well for the next few hours -- even with ear plugs in, I could still hear the wind and rain pounding on my tent. When I woke up, my friend told me that we had some water damage on the tent in the middle of the night -- I guess we didn't zip up the door all the way and water got in through the opening and into our tent. Luckily it was our last day camping -- so all I really cared about was doing my morning run and packing up and heading home! And that is exactly what I did. At 8:00am I ate a quick breakfast and headed out to the lake for my run. I only needed to run 2 miles, so I wasn't worried. I heard that the route had some hills, but after running the Nike Marathon twice, I wasn't worried about hills anymore (if you've ever run the Nike Marathon, you know what real hills are like!) So after running 2 miles, I headed back to camp and packed up -- a quick change out of my running gear and by 11am we were all packed up and saying goodbye to Lake San Antonio!

Whew -- what a weekend! Camping, training, close encounters with the animal kind...but I got through it all...I survived training weekend!

I think I'll put my camping gear in storage now...and keep it there for a while! =)

Training Weekend @ Lake San AntonioPart 2: The dock, the boar, and the rodent -- OH MY!

In my last post, I mentioned day 1 turned out to not be so bad -- "all's well that ends well" -- but by day 2, things changed dramatically...so on to Part 2: The dock, the boar, and the rodent -- OH MY!

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THE DOCK...
On Saturday morning, I was awaken at 5AM, by the sound of bagpipes playing the Scottish National Anthem...and as soon as that was over, the Rocky anthem played -- it was the Ironteam coach getting his team up and at 'em for their long training day. Because we set up tent in the middle of both the Ironteam and the Tri team, I was lucky enough to hear the wake up call, loud and clear -- too bad I couldn't hit snooze! =) But after all the commotion settled, I was able to go back to sleep for another hour and a half or so...

When I finally got up to start my day, I ate some breakfast (pop tarts, banana w/peanut butter, gatorade -- yes, this is the breakfast of champions! lol!) and got my gear ready. Our workout for the day = .25m swim followed by a 9m bike ride. This would be open water swim attempt #2 for me -- and considering how badly attempt #1 went, the benchmark was really low...

When we got to the swim location, we all put our wetsuits on and listened to the swim instructions. The water temperature was a warm 62 degrees -- which compared to Lake Del Valle, was indeed much warmer. The coach then told us that we would be walking down to the swim start and be jumping off the dock to start the swim -- wait -- did he just say jump off the dock?!?!? I was barely mentally prepared to swim .25 miles in a lake for the second time, but on top of that we had to jump off the dock? By this point I was convinced that triathletes ARE crazy! Before I could think about turning back and skipping the swim, one of my teammates was already pushing me down towards the dock -- we had to pair up to jump off the dock, and she wanted me to jump in with her. Before I jumped in, my swim coach Amy, gave me a few words of advice (relax, don't forget to breathe, and don't say "I can't!") and told me that coach Mike would be by my side during the swim -- whew -- that gave me some comfort because I knew if I couldn't make the entire swim, I could at least grab on to the lifesaver buoy that he had with him!

When we were walking up to the dock to jump in, I started to have issues with my goggles (again!). This was my 4th pair of goggles and these were definitely pulling at my eyes making it difficult to see (note to self: do not try/test a new pair of goggles during open water swims) -- then I started to worry that my contacts would fall out (again!). But with only seconds to think about anything, it was our turn to jump in -- my teammate counted to three and we were supposed to jump in together -- except that on three, she jumped in and I stayed on the dock :-/
I told her that I wasn't ready, but then she and coach Mike, who was already in the water, told me to just do it -- and so I did...I jumped in and when I got to the surface, I screamed, but then I realized that the water wasn't so bad -- it was cold, but definitely not as cold as Lake DelValle. I then scooped up some water into my wetsuit to get warm, and I started to just paddle away from the dock so that others could jump in. After a few minutes, my teammate asked me if I was ready to swim, I of course said, "no" -- then coach Mike told me to take a few strokes. I waited a few seconds to catch/control my breath, then took a few strokes, but when I came up, I realized that I wasn't blowing bubbles under water -- which caused me to gasp for air when I came up. So now, my issues weren't so much that I couldn't see crap underwater, but the fact that I couldn't get my breathing down. I tried again, and again, I wasn't breathing correctly -- and by about the 4th attempt, my stomach started to fill with air and I couldn't burp it out -- this part of open water swimming sucks! Coach Mike told me to keep trying to take strokes, but it was getting so uncomfortable -- and I was veering off course, away from the buoy to boot (so I was actually swimming farther than I needed). In the distance coach Amy was waving her arms at me and yelling for me to swim towards her, towards the buoy, at the .25 mile marker. I won't lie, it seemed pretty far, and that set me into a panic, so I floated on my back for a few minutes (I actually did the float-on-back thing several times -- it's slow, but hey, it works!), trying to take deep breaths and take control mentally. Then I attempted to swim towards the buoy -- it wasn't a pretty sight, but I actually made it to the buoy. When I got to the buoy I told the coaches, "ok, now can I ride the buoy back to shore?!?!" I was exhausted, and not to mention, uncomfortable because my stomach was still filled with air that I couldn't burp out. So now I had to swim back to shore. And all the issues that I had in my swim towards the buoy, continued and even got a bit worse because now that I could see shore, all I wanted to do was to give up so someone could drag me back to shore -- again, I was exhausted and uncomfortable -- oh, and did I mention that my contact fell out (again!) as I was swimming towards the buoy? Yes, I was also blind in one eye to boot!

As I was swimming towards shore, the next group of swimmers were getting ready to jump in, but they couldn't quite jump in yet because I was in the way. So as I am struggling to swim to shore, an audience of 30 other swimmers is staring at me and cheering me on -- embarrassing, yes, because these swimmers are standing on the dock, anxiously waiting to jump in and watching me struggle at the same time; yet motivating because all I want to do at this point is get the hell out of their way. So when I finally get to the point where I can stand up, my legs are like jello -- and I can barely stand up -- in fact, I fell once or twice trying to get up on shore. But after all of that, as I stood on the shore, it finally sunk in -- I swam to the buoy and back...I swam (using the word "swam" loosely here) .25 miles! Woohoo!

THE BOAR...
After the satisfactory 2nd attempt at open water swimming, it was time for a 9mile bike ride. When it was time for us to start the bike portion of the workout, the weather actually started to clear up and the sun came out -- what great weather for a bike ride! We were given the route and were told that the route started out with a lovely hill -- great, just what I needed...my legs were still trying to recover from the swim. When I started the ride, sure enough, a nice, steep hill with an incline that seemed to go on forever. There were a couple of times that I wanted to get off of my bike and just walk up the hill, but I didn't -- I kept going and thinking to myself "what goes up, must come down" -- and the downhill would be worth it...and it was! After that first hill, the rest seemed to be a piece of cake.

I rode for about 4.5miles out and turned around. Good thing I turned around when I did because apparently, close to the first aid station, some of the riders saw this:

A dead boar in the middle of the road! Had I seen this during my ride, I would have rode back to camp and packed up! They told us there were wild boars in the area, but I didn't think we'd actually see one -- good thing this one was dead! (sorry to all you animal lovers out there, but good riddance -- better it dead than terrorizing the campsite!)


THE RODENT...
After about an hour of riding, I had completed almost 9 miles -- I was ready to call it a day! When I got back to camp, I showered and ate. I was so hungry that I ate almost everything I could get my hands on. Good thing about all this training is that eating a lot is ok -- in fact, after long workouts, eating a lot is a necessity -- whatever, if you want me to eat a lot, you don't have to tell me twice! =) After eating, I took a 30min power nap -- another thing about all this training -- you get tired! When I woke up from my nap, I walked over to my teammates tent -- and on my way to her tent, I came across this nasty little critter (or at least, what was left of it):

Luckily, this was all that was left of it (whatever it was) and thank goodness it wasn't next to my tent! But this is reason #2943 that I hate camping -- you never know what things you're gonna see...ewwwww....

Saturday evening, Team in Training (TNT) hosted a pasta dinner for all the teams, along with some entertainment from the mentors/captains from each chapter. It was starting to get really cold as the sun was setting, and it even sprinkled a bit while we were having dinner. I was a bit worried about the weather because the forecast called for rain early Sunday...and for me, rain was the worst thing that could happen at night...in the middle of wilderness...with only a tent and sleeping bag protecting me from the elements... So by the time daylight disappeared, everyone started to get ready to call it a night -- after all, we all had a very long day, we were exhausted from the day's workout, and we still had one more workout the next day -- a nice run along the lovely hills of Lake San Antonio. And so by about 8:30pm, I was slipping into my comfy sleeping bag...hoping that the weather would cooperate...and for the most part it did, until about 2am, when the forces of nature began to make its stand...

Coming soon -- the last part of this three part series -- Part 3: We're Not in Kansas Anymore...But I Will Survive!

Training Weekend @ Lake San AntonioPart 1: The Happy Campers

This past weekend was training weekend at Lake San Antonio in Monterrey County. It was a three-day tour of the Wildflower event race course -- which included camping and wildlife fun! Because so much happened this weekend, I need to break up the events in 3 parts -- and, so, without further ado...here is Part 1: The Happy Campers...

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First off, I must say, I had absolutely no intentions of going to this training weekend at Lake San Antonio. It wasn't a preview for my event, so I didn't think it was necessary for me to go. And because I knew there was camping involved, it made the decision that much easier. For any of you that know me, my idea of 'camping' or 'communing with nature' is a 3-star hotel! So the idea of sleeping in tents without any room service or private showers, was definitely not my idea of a good time -- I'd rather get a root canal than go camping.

So the day after I had already decided that I was not going to the training weekend, my old buddy from the marathon team, Jennifer Jay, who is training for an Ironman (yes, she rocks, I want to be like her when I grow up!), sends me an email and asks me to go with her and be her tentmate for the training weekend...What? She clearly didn't know about my I-hate-camping attitude. But after a few emails back and forth, she had convinced me that this would be a good idea and a fun time -- huh? Never would I have ever put the words camping, good, and fun in the same sentence...but somehow, she convinced me!

Fast forward to Friday, March 20th -- the day we left for training weekend. I had everything packed the night before: sleeping bag (borrowed from a colleague at work), check; sleeping pad (also borrowed from the same colleague at work), check; tent (borrowed from my sister-in-law) check. Are you starting to see the theme here? Because I am not a camper, I had to borrow a lot of items from the avid campers that I knew -- but, also being the accessory-queen and that I am, I also had to buy a few things myself (I really just needed an excuse to shop) -- like: a new pair of camping boots because there was no way I was going to wear a pair of boots from my closet -- the camping boots would strictly be used for camping only; camping clothes -- thermals, jacket, beanie, scarf and gloves -- all items needed to stay warm; plus other miscellaneous camping gear (poncho, wipes, toilet paper, hot hands, etc...) I was able to pack everything into four bags (which was really an amazing feat for me) -- 1 bag with all my clothes, 1 bag with all my training gear, 1 bag with all my camping accessories, and 1 bag of food/snacks. And so, when Jennifer got to my house, at 10:30am, we packed her SUV with all my bags and took off by about 10:50am -- and we were off to begin our training weekend excursion.

On our drive out to Lake San Antonio (which was about a 3.5 hour drive for us) -- we stopped in Gilroy and had a late lunch at at Black Bear Restaurant. And of course, we couldn't resist, we had to take a picture with the bears of Black Bear Restaurant. Yes, very touristy of us, we know! In fact we told the restaurant worker we were tourists and when he asked us where we were from, we told him that we were from San Francisco and he laughed at us -- well, so weren't exactly tourists =)

As we got closer to our final destination, we noticed a plethora of large 'bugs' flying towards our windshield -- and every time they hit the car they would leave a splatter of bright yellow on the windshield -- I hate to say this, but the bright yellow splatter was kinda pretty! The 'bugs' kept hitting us for a good 30 miles...and it wasn't until we got to the campsite that we realized what large 'bugs' were splattering the windshield -- they were monarch butterflies! They were migrating north for the Spring. I read on a website that monarch butterflies do not live very long, and now I now why -- their migration path cuts across Hwy 101!

When we finally got to the campsite around 4:30pm, the outside temperature reading on the car read 78 degrees -- it was a beautiful afternoon to set up camp! We immediately looked for the 'perfect' area to set up our tent -- 'perfect' as in, relatively flat and in close proximity to the bathrooms! When we found the perfect spot (between both the East Bay Tri team and the Ironman Team) we set up our tent, which was actually pretty easy...I then started to decorate the tent -- hey, I had to make the tent comfortable and inviting (and easy to find amongst all the other tents!) -- in the end, the decorating was all worth it -- I won a massage/spa gift certificate for having the best dressed tent on the campsite! =)

After setting up our tent and getting the car unloaded, we kinda just hung out with the teams, waited for everyone else to arrive, and got our dinner ready. By about 7pm, the sun started to go down. My teammates started a campfire and the rest of us started to gather around it. After about an hour of chatting with my teammates, I decided to get ready for bed -- I had a long Saturday ahead of me -- attempt #2 at open water swimming and a bike ride immediately after. As I was slipping into my sleeping bag, which was actually pretty comfortable, I started to think that maybe camping wasn't so bad after all...at least so far...
...and so ended camping day 1...


...Stay tuned for Part 2 of this this three part series...
Part 2: The dock, the boar, and the rodent -- OH MY!

The "Forces" were against me today...

Today was my first open water swim...and as the title of this post says "the forces were against me today..." -- need I say more?

When I left the house Sunday morning the wet ground and cold air should have been a clear indicator of what was to come later on in the morning at Lake Del Valle in Livermore...wet ground + cold, moist air = bad sign #1.

I met with my mentor group at Pleasant Hill Bart so we could carpool. As we drove to Livermore, the rain started to get heavier, the clouds looked angrier, and the car's outside temperature gauge started to drop, from 52 degrees to 48 degrees...bad sign #2.

When we got to Livermore, the clouds started to part and rays of sun started to peak through the clouds -- wait, good this be the first good sign? On our approach to the lake, the road was long and steep with many hills and at each turn, the elevation was climbing...I knew part of the day's workout included a bike ride -- so if we were going to have to ride on this road, that's bad sign #3.

As we pulled into the parking lot at the lake's boat launching area, we met up with the rest of the team which many of them were already in the process of changing into their wetsuits. So as soon as we parked, we got out of our car and did the same. If any of you are familiar with the process of putting on a wetsuit -- it is neither easy nor fast -- or pretty for that matter! So after a few minutes of struggling to get into the wetsuit and while at the same time trying to listen to the coach give us instructions on the swim -- we were supposed to swim for 30 minutes -- we were ready to head towards the launching area -- yes, where the boats launch -- and start our swim. But first, a group photo opp ;)


The coach asked that the virgin open water swimmers stay back so he could give us a few additional pointers -- which I desperately needed -- actually, what I needed was scuba gear to keep me warm and a tank to help me breathe! First, he told us that we should get some liquid -- lake water or pee -- in our suits to keep us warm (I know, sounds strange and gross, but that's how a wetsuit works -- it warms up the liquid that's in your suit and that is what keeps you warm -- yes, very technical, I know). He also told us that once in the water, to just start swimming to get our bodies going and warmed up. Then he told us to focus on something on land and use that as our marker so that when you look up, you can tell if you are swimming in the right direction. And after those additional tips, he told us to get in the water and start swimming...and that is where my problems started....

First off, the water was ice cold -- imagine the coldest shower you could possibly think of and multiply that cold feeling by 10 -- the water was even colder than that! It was so cold that my breathing became so shallow and quick that I felt like I was hyperventilating -- thereby making it very difficult to actually swim. After a couple of minutes in the water, just wading around, I decided to actually try to swim -- but as soon as I stuck my face in the frigid water, and saw complete darkness because hey, I was in a lake, and you can't see $%*& in a lake -- I completely freaked out and so began my panic attack. I immediately stuck my head out of the water and rolled onto my back and really started to lose it. My breathing became more shallow and quick and I just could not get control of it -- I had horrible thoughts racing through my mind (OMG, what did I just swallow...what parasites are living in this water...what the hell is under me, at the bottom of this lake...) Luckily, two wonderful coaches were right next to me, Coach Amy and Coach Mike, and they stayed with me through out the entire disastrous ordeal and tried to do the best to get me to relax. They told me to take deep breaths and keep my legs and arms moving to stay warm. They then told me to flip back on my stomach and try to take a few strokes...and so I tried it and to no avail -- the second I put my head in, I panicked again -- so again I rolled onto my back. And this time, in addition to my panicking and shallow breathing, somehow some water got into the left side of my goggles and into my left eye and I lost my contact lens! So, to top it all off, I couldn't see in my left eye -- bad sign #4 -- what else could go wrong?

Have you ever had to burp so bad, but just couldn't let it out -- making your stomach so full of air and very uncomfortable? Have you ever had that feeling in the open water? Well, I did. After about 10 mins in the water and attempting to swim, each time I took a breath, instead of breathing normally -- exhaling in the water and inhaling when I turned my head -- I was swallowing the air, causing my stomach to fill with air -- and after about 20 mins, my stomach was so full of air that I felt like an overinflated balloon waiting to pop, only I couldn't let out a burp of any kind because of all of the other forces that were working against me (see previous paragraph).

So, everything that could go wrong in the water...did -- and all I could hope for was to make it back to shore without having to be resuscitated! I actually was out in the water for the 30 mins that we were supposed to, but I probably only made it out about 30 yards from the shore -- which is 30 yards more than I expected!


After my failed 1st attempt at open water swimming, we moved on to the bike ride. I was supposed to ride for an hour, which at first, I thought was going to be a piece of cake -- until I got to the first hill. Remember those hills that I mentioned during our drive towards the lake -- well, yes, you guessed it -- those were the same long, steep hills that were part of our bike route. And after a mentally draining 30 mins in the open

water, these hills were going to be the death of me -- if I let them. It took me about 30 mins to get up the hills, but I pushed through them, I wasn't going to let the hills overcome me like the water had. And when it was time to ride down the hills, it felt so exhilarating -- I felt accomplished, finally!


After the hour bike ride, we were then supposed to run for 10 mins -- which, for this marathoner, piece of cake! Finally -- something I know I can do! So I took off for my 10 min run and although I was physically and, most of all, mentally drained from the other two sports, running seemed to just make me feel better, hey what can I say, I'm a marathoner at heart!

And so ended the torturous day at Lake DelValle -- 30 mins swim...1 hour bike ride...10 min run...When the coaches asked me how I felt at the end of the workout, I summed it up in three little words "I Hate Today!"

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What I learned today...It's all mental.
Even though I may have felt like the "forces" were against me today, I know that if I was mentally strong enough, I could have conquered that lake...I guess I will just have to put my mental skills to the test next weekend at Lake San Antonio in Monterrey County -- open water swim attempt #2 + a 3-day camping trip to boot -- yikes! Wish me luck!

And may the force be with you in all of your endeavors...

re·com·mit

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the definition of the word "recommit" is:

Function:
transitive verb

Date:
1621

1 : to refer (as a bill) back to a committee
2 : to entrust or consign again

To "entrust" again -- I think that sums up my triathlon experience thus far. In this second attempt to complete a triathlon, I have entrusted the enhancement of my swim, bike and run skills (or lack thereof) to the TNT coaches in the hopes that all this training will help me get across that finish line in May (crossing my fingers...and toes!)

Last week, I signed and sent in my recommitment forms -- I've committed to raising money for this incredible cause and I am officially doing this triathlon in May -- yikes! To make the recommitment even more of a reality, today I booked my flights/hotel with the TNT travel agent ~ALOOOOOHA~ Time for a pina colada to celebrate -- oh wait, I'll save that for after I cross the finish line (part of the training is to think positively) -- if you think you can do it, you will! At least, that's what I keep telling myself!

So last Sunday, the coaches videotaped us swimming so they could critique our swimming technique/form and help give us better advice on what we should/need to correct in our swim form. For me, the fact that I'm able to get from one side of the pool to the other is a feat in and of itself -- so for the coaches to critique my swim form was actually pretty intimidating, but then I figured they could at least tell me if I even had any sort of form to my swimming at all, and that would at least be helpful.

When it was time to get into the pool (I was the first one from my group to get videotaped, woohoo, lucky me!) I was a little scared (read: terrified) because 1. I had never swam in a pool where I couldn't touch the bottom of the pool, and the lane we were supposed to swim in for the videotaping was 12 ft deep and 2. everyone was watching me! So when I finally got the courage to jump in, I did panic for a minute, then when I reached the surface to get my breath, I actually felt ok -- the water was a nice temperature and I soon realized it was a salt water pool. I swam a few laps before the coach signaled to me that he was ready to videotape me -- and actually, that part wasn't so bad. I swam two laps and he videotaped me from one angle one way, and a different angle on the second lap. And that was it....until it came time to review my swimming...

When it was my turn to review my swimming "form" (that is, if you can call having no form a form) it was quite interesting...did I mention I just learned how to swim?!?! Let's just say I still have quite a few things to work on. Right now, I am just satisfied with the fact that I can swim (really swim) from one end of the pool to the other without water wings! LOL! I can work on my "form" when I train for my next triathlon ;-)

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AHA! Moment #3

Swimming in the deep end of the pool is no different than swimming in the shallow end...however, if you can't swim, at least you can stand up in the shallow end. But once you do learn to swim, the depth of the water is negligible because hey, you can swim! AHA!

Pigs MUST be able to fly!

So you know the saying " it will happen when pigs fly"?

Well, pigs must be able to fly because believe it or not, I can swim! Yes, I can swim without the aid of flotation devices -- yeah, amazing I know...I have swimming skills! =) In fact, just this morning, I swam 250 yds freestyle -- huge improvement considering that a month ago, I couldn't even complete 25 yds (even with a flotation device)!

I have to admit, the private swimming lessons that I paid for probably had some part in developing this hidden talent (ha!), underdeveloped and highly underutilized skill that I now have -- actually truth be told, without those lessons, I would probably still be clinging on to the wall during the team swim practices. I think having a personal swim coach has given me the confidence to actually try to swim -- hey, you would try really hard to swim too if you were paying someone by the hour to teach you to swim...you learn really fast when there's money involved! But after all that is said and done, I am glad that I did invest in the swim lessons because it has given me some great "AHA! moments" in swimming...it's taught me how to push my so-called athleticism...and most important of all -- I can swim!

Do you see the pigs flying? Because I do! =)

If at first you don't succeed....try, TRI again!!!

Yes, I have been MIA on my own blog -- tsk, tsk, tsk...shame on me!
I really do have a good excuse...if you want to read about it, here it goes...

If you haven't noticed -- I've switched triathlons. I am no longer participating in the Lavaman Tri in March. I had to take some time off after the holidays due to illness, which caused me to miss way too many trainings -- and I was in no way (and certainly in no shape) going to be able to even think about completing a triathlon in March -- and that's not even considering the swimming difficulties I was having (read: I couldn't swim)...

And so, at the end of January, I decided (with my doctor's OK) to join the Spring Team and sign up for the Honolulu Tri in May -- which was perfect = more time to practice/train = more time to learn to swim (that is, with the goal of swimming without the aid of a flotation device!) ;-)

So begins the NEW journey -- because as they say -- if at first you don't succeed...try, tri again! And I am certainly going to tri again...