TAPER BLUES!

OK, so I am feeling like I am hungry all the time, not losing weight, sluggish and depressed. i think this is all a sign of tapering for the big BUFFALO in 9 days. I remember this! You feel like dog-doo-doo for 2 weeks before the race. There must be a scientific reason for this you know but in this moment I don't care. I did a 30 min run yesterday, went to Cochiti and swam a mile or so. It was SO much more pleasant than last week with the 30 MPH winds and cold. Yesterday was warm, sunny-ahhh a perfect swim day in the lake. I feel like my swimming is OK for the race. I feel more confidence than ever with open water swimming. Now the bike and run I will have to have a new mantra for. "I am fast" "I am middle-aged fast" "I love myself even if I am last" (oh come on!) " My feet are like lightening!" I wonder others tell themselves like the winners?

I'm BACKKKK..

Home from San Jose. It was such a nice break to see my friends Esther and Ken. Brings me back to the 70s when Esther & I were hippies in college. Don't remember much :) but we have been friends for 35 years now. I did a short run this AM (30) now out to Cochiti again to brave the cool waters. Don't think there will be wind today though-YEA.

On the plane to San Jose there was a man and woman sitting beside me, about my age, that obviously had just met. As the conversation went on, it was obvious they were starting to "hook up" as the kids say. The convo got more intimate and it turned out he was married, but she was not. I felt really uncomfortable!! I tried to move but no seats so had to listen to this really weird thing unfolding next to me. I think she turned him down but wasn't too emphatic. i tried to tune them out, but they were loud. I thought- it this what the rest of the world is into. Hooking up with strangers on a business trip? How strange...so much not me..I really was stumped on how to handle the situation.. I could have said:
"Get a room!"
"Excuse me sir, what is your wife's phone number?"
"Aren't you the guy with the STD?"
"All children should sit in the back"
Probably many possibilities but I just sat there, embarrassed for both of them and said nothing..Oh well, another weird life experienced. I don't think I would have thought much of it until he said he was married and was talking about his kids and stuff-ewww!

It's TAPER TIME!!

Yeaaa! Did my last long run yesterday-2 hours at the walk one min., run one min, pace. I averaged 12 min miles and felt great at the end, could have done more. So this is my strategy for BSLT. I feel good about that. i am off to San Jose today for a few days to see my friend, who is struggling with the loss of a friend, menopause and general midlife burnout.. something i know well..So not much to do training wise in the next few days so is good timing.
My daughter Becca (here from Denver) and I planted flowers all afternoon yesterday. There is something very grounding about working in the earth! I loved it and the planters and flowers look awesome...
Looking forward to doing some reading on the plane, breathing the ocean air in CA and hopefully relaxing with my friend..

Size does matter!

Well, when you are talking about cranks on a bike! I finally after a year of grinning and bearing it with a shimano Dra-ace 52/39 10 speed on my Ruby ( I actually know what these things are now!-I am one of those women that when guys started talking about gearing, would nod and pretend I knew what they were saying but it sounded like a different language to me:))
I got a compact crank put on-50/34 FSA. Although I will admit it was sad to see the "Dura-ace" logo on the crank go I have to say that riding this bike now is a whole new fantastic experience! Well for one, I have been training on the higher gearing for a year so going up hills in this new set-up feels like a picnic. I can actually spin up tramway!! I am only a bit faster but the difference in how I feel getting there is huge! So I am selling the carbon fiber bars (couldn't put aerobars on it-the bike shop neglected to tell me when I bought the bike) and Shimano crank to my friend Mark so don't feel as bad for chopping the bike up. but comfort is really everything and i can see this helping already. The guy at the bike store I went to now (High Desert in Rio Rancho-highly recommend) said he never would have sold me a bike with that gearing. he says there are pro guys that won't ride that kind so I felt better after that convo. So now I have a Ruby Pro with some "conversions" I guess..