Biathlete?

I know I'm getting ready for a triathlon but haven't managed to experience more than two of the events on the same day during "training". Mind you training has largely subsisted of me swimming, and not fast I may add. Time at the pool for me is part visiting, part meditation, mindless laps as I listen to my swimp3 player (best invention EVER) which all combines to an hour (or more) of a fantastic recuperative experience.

Thanks in part to my two live in coaches (Randy and Kyle) I've been getting my butt away from the pool and starting to focus on the other events- which has totally messed with my swim mileage- but has made getting ready for the triathlon much more real. Running is steadily improving. Today Randy and I went out together and ran the first 1.52 miles and then did the return walking. Tuesday he and I took the bikes to Bollinger Canyon where we set off for a ride. Now, remember please how "warm" it was last week. We parked the truck, took out the bikes, fussed with the seat, lost (temporarily) the tool box key and then were off. I was so very nervous. The ride I discovered was ALL uphill to start. Between the heat, the hill, and my anxiety I realized that I probably hadn't thoroughly considered what I had signed up for. MY GOODNESS, the riding was hard. I complained to Randy and wondered what had become to the woman who had previously ridden 100 miles one day and then went out for another ride the second day? I was panting, sweating, white knuckle gripping the handles. Finally I said to Randy, ENOUGH. I wanted to cry- I probably had only gone a mile or so. Around we turned and started back. He was right, the ride back was entirely downhill. The sweat dried, the legs relaxed, I got going a bit faster than was comfortable. . . it was magnificent. By this point the endorphins had come in to wipe out the memory of the beginning.

After we drove the truck up to see how far we had ridden, actually we had gone 2.7 miles uphill and were within about 1/2 mile of the end of the road. A goal for another day.
Today I got a proper bottle holder for my bike and sunglasses to wear while riding.
Tomorrow we set off again.

with the help of my coaches and best supporters . . . I may actually be able to finish this thing!

Three things

A few things happened today:

I managed to run a but farther than in the past (1 1/2 miles) followed by a 1 1/2 milk walk

I got back on my bike (5 1/2 miles)

My youngest turned 19.

The final is obviously the most important.

Happy Birthday Kyle, you made the Harrell Family complete and we love you!

not a morning person . . .

Recently we purchased a nifty new alarm clock. It projects the time onto the ceiling, which is prefect for those of us with poor vision! Travis liked it so much that he took the first one I purchased causing me to have to get another- Kyle has his eye on this one but, I digress.

This morning the alarm went off for Randy who mistakenly hit the snooze button when he got up and prepared for work. Ten minutes later it went off again and I groaned thinking it was for me. It took me a bit to realize what had happened and then I saw clearly, getting up at 5:00 to go to Masters swim practice is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I am much too much of an evening person- I can't force myself to sleep before 11-12!

Randy and I had a good laugh about this today. He is a morning person- glowing and ready to go at 5:00 am . . . that's when I get my best sleep! I'm a night owl- I can stay up, fully locked and loaded until 1:00 am, no problem. Why change now? This marriage has gone well for 28 years, I think we have a good thing going!

Clean and sober for one day now. . . .

What? It's true, "My name is Linda and I'm a comcast forum-aholic. But, this time I'm kicking the habit.
What is the forum? It's a place where comcast subscribers "meet" to discuss topics of the day. I initially got involved with a relatively innocuous post. Some lady was complaining about Dara Tores being too old to compete in the Olympics. Well, I simply could not let that particular ignorance go by and I schooled her properly. But listen now, this was my gateway posting, it led to a deep a dark addiction. I entered the political sphere.
I argued with right wing boobs until my fingers were raw. I posted retorts full of factual back up, citations and links . . .but still the idiots refuse to listen.
I was thinking about the specific writers who would always read the same thread as me, but were diametrically opposed to my views . . . ."allym" , "Linda K", "jodie from nh", "Bubbah", "patriotguy" etc.

I think I had my epiphany yesterday when some jerk replied, "well whinefamily . . . " Oh yes siree, that was so clever on his part (not) He had taken winefamily and made his little joke, trying to make me look like the jerk. (which is something lots of these guys do) At this point I thought- why am I bothering? who am I even arguing with? I figure (based on spelling and writing abilities) that this isn't the cream of the conservative crop. Probably quite a few unemployed folks who spend their day online, creating a life there. So, I'm done. I haven't returned since yesterday morning and though I'm tempted to see what they are chatting about today, or if anyone has replied to any of my comments, I stay away.

you don't think it's possible do you? there is a fellow who calls himself "deciderguy" . . . . just a thought

I brought this on myself . . .

I feel like this, but acted like this . . . . a bit of a disconnect!

Here is what happened: Every now and again I have a little back "twinge" It lasts for several days and then it's but a memory for the next few months until it inexplicably returns. Last Wednesday I started to have such a twinge. Thursday I went to the pool and thought a nice, slow, stretching swim would help with the pain. Slow was the key word here and in about 1/2 hour I felt much better. At that point I was stopped on the wall and having a sip of water and noticed a camera man and some other folks on the other side of the pool, set up just outside my lane. What? I wondered what they were filming and truly prayed I wasn't in the shot but given the angle, I thought there was no way I wasn't. The man in the adjacent lane agreed and added they were from Channel 5 news. "Great" I groaned, "now I'm going to be self conscious about my swim" "Lucky you" was his reply . . . arghhhhhhhhhh
So I set off on my next set, this one with fins to give me "super power". When I made my turn I decided I needed to act like a "real" swimmer and did some underwater dolphin kicks. Geez, I felt like a super hero flying across the pool. The set went exceptionally well and I imagined myself looking much like all the Olympic athletes I'd been admiring for nearly a week. I forgot about my 50 year old body crammed into my pink suit and swam visualizing a cross between Natalie Coughlin, Michael Phelps and Dara Tores. I was magnificent, my flip turns were stunning, my underwater dolphin kicks amazing.

Now, I'm sure you are wondering, was I on the news? Nope, but my friend Michelle who does a violent flip turn that splashes the deck was, well not her so much as the tsunami she created on her turn. So I have no film evidence of my amazing turns and kicks. But, the day it to be remembered for sure. Those dolphin kicks played havoc on my back and I've been paying since. Ashley reminded me I am not a competitive swimmer and such kicks are unnecessary. I agreed and am a bit embarrassed about my attempts at notoriety. Clearly the story of the day was not "Amazing 50 year old women, in pink suits, imagining they are Olympic swimmers" . . . film at 11.

my family tree . . .

Thank goodness for personalized ringtones, and for the fact that I always leave my cell phone on.
How many times have you misplaced your cell phone? With luck it isn't on silent and you can simply dial it up and follow the sound. The other day my phone slipped out of my pocket when coming home from SFO after fetching Kyle. We were in Kyle's car. The next day, while sitting in my car before leaving for work I did a quick inventory of things needed and realized I didn't have my phone. Where was it? A quick round of the house revealed no phone, peering through all crevasses of the car also yielded no cell phone. Ah-ha, I'll call it and follow the noise.
Walking throught the house, no noise.
In the garage and my car, no noise.
Out to the drivewasy I could faintly hear the ringtone assigned to the house phone. It's a little song which in assending scale sings "You are, you are, you are my family tree."
Thank you Ashley for creating this ringtone for me, without it my phone will likely still be hiding under the seat in Kyle's car and I'd still be wondering if I've lost my mind.

1, 2,,,,,,,,,,,,3

I got an email yesterday from my Mom with this very subject line. In the text section all she wrote was "I don't know, do you care to tell us? Rather cryptic right?
So, I return email with a query, "what?"

It turns out Mom and Dad went to the Napa fair and discovered that our wine entered had scored a first and second place. Our label- designed by Ashley from an oil painting she did for us Christmas 2006 won 3rd place . . . . YIPEEEE