August? What?

Hmmm, well, I blog as well as I kept a diary as a kid. I had friends that always said they 'diaried' each night. I was probably out running around until I dropped into bed...and my choice was to bury inside a good story and read, not write. So, here I am...gung ho in May with 4 updates...one in June....one in July. So, I settled on once a month for a blog update. And I look down today at the calendar and realize it is September. How does that happen?

August was a busy month. A good month, a good busy. Weather was hot hot hot, until the last week. We did the Brewhouse Tri in Duluth on the 6th, and also did a series of 5k's due to a comment among friends at a 'fun run' in July about wanting to increase the 5k time. So, we signed up for a race each Saturday. I am really much more of a triathlete. The swim is just OK. I was better last year. A toddler has made swimming laps difficult. So, we end up playing on the edge of the pool, lake, whatever more than swimming. And the bike is always the same, whether I bike a lot or a little, I stay between 19.0 and 19.9 mph. Not sure how to get over that threshold. How do people get faster when they have to abide by traffic laws? I just get on a good pace and am really starting to work and I have to slow for a stop light/sign/car. Maybe, I have to drive to the boonies to ride on a highway with tractors? But, there again is the time constraint. I typically ride at 5-5:30 and am home by 6:30, so CadesDad can get a sticker for being the first to arrive at work all week. OK, I know he is my main reader, so I am only kidding. Sort of. :) That is one of my questions about training effectively for tri's. I used to have difficulty with transitioning from the bike to the run. Now, I push a smaller gear and up the rpm and get off on totally fresh legs, not tired at all. It works for me. So, do you train in a big gear? I am reading/hearing that fixed gear riding is such great training due to the amt of work the legs do in a shorter time frame. That seems to make sense, but is it practical for a brick?

Now that this is my big blog day, I will be totally ADD in my subject matter and cover anything that I have thought of in the last 45 days. The flurry of 5K's was good. Each of us improved. There were 5 runners to start. And 4 by the second race, 3 + a new person by the fourth, and 3 by the last. So, with the core three, there was definitely an increase in time. I am not sure if the actual racing was the contributing factor or if it was the weather (the last race was flat and cool) so I know that is why I was faster. I started in the back of the pack with the joggers on the last one and finished as the 5th woman...granted the 5k was a small one. There were more than 5 woman though. I think there were 6. CadesDad didn't finish faster in this one, but he still had a good time (fun and clock) as he was pushing Cade in the jogger. Hence, that is why I started with the jogger strollers.

Now, we are back into September and I am usually depressed and anxiety ridden of the impending darkness of winter. The cold is not that great either, but the darkness really takes its' toll on me. HOWEVER, I have found two more triathlons to do and keep the dream alive that summer is still here. So, I am signed up to do the Square Lake tri in Stillwater on the 9th. It is the shorter of two courses, but it is still just shy of an Olympic length course, so not really short, per se. And yesterday, I got an email for a Champs of the Amateur Triathlete triathlon in Excelsior on the 16th. It is a .5 swim, 15 mi bike, and 3mi run. Gotta do it. I love that distance. YAHOO!

One last thought then I better go as the tot is yelling and the muffins are almost done this morning...so, I have two odd things that have often happened throughout my life. One is that a series of numbers keep appearing. That is another subject for another day. But, secondly, have you ever had a 'run in' with an individual over and over but they don't know you and you them. For instance, I know a certain triathlete only because she beats me by about 30 seconds in each race she is in...and subsequently, I had to know what this person looks like, so if I see her on the course, I am going to get her. Well, I am typically ahead of her in the swim, transition1, bike, transition2, and then she cruises on the run and beats me. I am not slow, but I am not swift either. This girl will get out of the t2 and hit the road running 6:30 miles....she can get 3-4 minutes on me by the time we are done, and I lose my lead. So, I have obviously obsessed about this and wished I was able to cruise at 6:30's for a few miles. And so, I was inquiring with another friend, non triathlete, for a doctor referral, and sure enough, she emails me this woman's name. I asked her if she was tall and thin and in her early 30's. She is. I told her she is my secret archnemesis, but probably does not know it. I know that I typically do not know the names of the folks who finish behind me in a tri, but only those ahead of me. So, if she does the same, she does not know me. BUT, I know her. Perhaps, I will end up going to her and have a Dr. that I also am out to get....only on the course. Of course.

Phew. September. It is hear. Are we supposed to be thrilled to wear sweaters and pick apples? And take Sunday drives to see the leaves? Sounds fine for a few hours, but then I want the green back and short sleeves and racing season.