Cohasset Triathlon 2013 - race recap

Are you ready for an Ironman length recap for a sprint distance race?! This is my (long) story of the event. I'll do anther post regarding times and standings and my thoughts on all of that.

1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.2 mile run

[image source]

Wow. I don't really even know where to start. What an awesome race! I should really say event. It was so much more than just the race day. Bill Burnett, the race director, and his team of volunteers are amazing! Let me start from the beginning...

Back in early December I begged The Husband to register me. I knew it sold out extremely fast and I had to work that day. I said that if he paid for it, that could be my Christmas present. I wouldn't even whine when I didn't have something to open on the day! About 35 minutes after registration opened, I saw an email on my iphone to sign the waiver, which would finalize my spot. Yay! Turns out, the registration site was so swamped, he wasn't even sure it went through. Later I found out that although no records are officially kept by the registration site, it was likely the fastest sprint triathlon sell out ever. I just barely made it through. The Husband also bought me a nifty "I'm in!" Cohasset Tri shirt that they were offering with registration.

Throughout the winter and spring we were kept updated via email or their facebook page. As we got closer to race day, emails were sent almost weekly with 3 in the last week. It was nice to get the Athlete Guide and "goody bag" coupons online. If you do a few races it creates a bit of clutter and I always lose the ones I want to keep. We were also sent a really nice email titled, "Things to Think About." Quite a bit of thought was put into this email including tips to stay calm during the swim. I needed those! It was obvious that every athlete was important and that they have the best experience possible. I emailed Bill about two weeks before the event to ask to be switched to the novice wave (from the general age group). It was a Sunday night and I had a response early Monday morning that I was all set.

There were multiple days of packet pick-up, but there was a special enticement to go to the Saturday date (other than getting to be the first to buy race gear...yay!). Team Hoyt was speaking at the church next to the pick-up location. If you don't know who they are, click on their name above. It will bring you to their "about" page. I couldn't miss that! I arrived to find all kinds of motivational signs posted around the common and some of the cheeriest volunteers I've ever seen. They were so nice and just seemed to love the race. Everyone wanted to know if I had done the race before and wished me luck and to have fun. I picked up my packet, my chip, my race shirt and bought an insulated race logo water bottle and long sleeve pull-over. We had a CHOICE of colors for the free race shirt and I got bright orange!

We stood out on the town common for a bit, watching the little kids play and then headed over to see Team Hoyt. They both spoke, Rick via a computer, and showed a video. It was incredible. The video was about 5 seconds short of me for-real crying it was just so inspirational. I can't do the talk justice, so I won't try. I will say that even as someone who though she knew quite a bit about the team, I was astounded by some of their stories and marathon times (somewhere around a 2:45:00!!!). Check them out below (their story starts about a minute in):

I went back to my parent's house from there and obsessively packed, unpacked, rechecked (repeat times 5) my transition bag (oh holy moly, typing transition bag made my stomach flip!). I was really nervous about the swim. I did a 1/2 mile ocean swim last summer in my first tri. This was only 1/4 mile but the water was far less protected and the forecast was sketchy. I went to bed at about 10:30 knowing I had an early wake up, but also knowing I wouldn't fall asleep right away. It's possible I got called out for being on facebook at 11pm, haha.

At 4:10am I woke up on my own and realized my alarm would go off in 5 minutes. Ugh...so...early. I have been having trouble figuring out what to eat before races, especially triathlons. I can't have anything with a lot of fiber or I get really bad stomach cramps. White bread of some sort seems to work. I get so nervous that everything turns my stomach. I made myself a peanut butter and honey on soft white bread and hoped for the best. I tried having a bagel for my first tri but it was too chewy and I'd end up chewing it forever (hello nervous dry mouth) and then gag when I tried to swallow it. It took me 30 minutes to eat half of it, which is a problem when there's a lot of time between eating and your swim wave. I also do this fun cough-gag thing when I'm trying to eat before races. I never get sick, but I always do it. That morning The Husband just laughed and said, "it's officially race day!" (ha, thanks a lot). I took the rest of my sandwich, a banana and some coffee in the car. By now it was 5am and I expected to swim just before 8. Three hours, for me, is the perfect amount of time to eat a good amount of food and have it be digested enough that I don't get cramps. It's also not so long I get hungry again. I had bad timing in my first tri and it ended up being 4 hours. I actually felt hungry before my swim wave and had to drink some water to feel full. It was pretty annoying, but totally my fault. Timing is definitely something to consider in your own races. So back to the tedious eating details...I'd take a big bite of the sandwich, chew it really fast, take a sip of coffee and swallow all of it together. This somehow worked and I ate almost all of it and a banana. If I had not been able to eat all of it, I probably would have had a Gu gel at about 7 in transition. Also, if my swim wave was later, I'd probably save the banana for about 6:30/7.

We arrived at the parking lot at about 5:45. It was a 1.5 mile walk or bike from there to the race venu. The Husband could have taken the spectator shuttle, but I was nervous. Walking together gave me time to calm down. By a little after 6 we arrived and it was pretty nice out. A little overcast, in the low 70s but a bit windy. Honestly, with the marine forecasts of rough current and head-high waves, I was pretty happy! The water looked flat, although I could tell by the rough texture that there was definitely some current. I also knew the tide had been going out for about 2 hours and that it would cause a pull making the swim back to shore tough. Knowing this probably did more harm than good since it made me nervous. That's what I get for having to look up everything!

Thanks to all the information given out ahead of time, early packet pick-up and great volunteers, getting checked into the transition area was a cinch. I ended up being really lucky with my spot. I was 4 rows from the bike/run out arch. Running with my bike after swimming seemed to be the toughest part and I'd only have to pass 3 racks on my way out. Even the run in after biking wasn't as bad. I also had the spot next to the legs of the stand (more room!) and the two people to my right didn't show up. Sweet! My bike is the smallest men's size in my model and as I suspected, the front tire didn't touch the ground. There it was, just a-swayin' in the wind! I was really nervous it would fall off while I was swimming. I had everything I needed out of my bag, so I propped the tire onto the bag and it worked perfectly. After a few porta-potty runs, I decided to put my wetsuit halfway on. The pre-race meeting was soon and I didn't want to feel rushed. Getting it on is a process and it has to be done right to be able to swim comfortably. Just then my parents arrived, so I went over to say "Hi" to them and then down to the water to get wet. One of the best tips I've been given is to get in the water in your wetsuit and completely submerge yourself. Make sure to get your face and your head wet. Swim a little if you have time and adjust your suit if needed (it will settle a give a bit when wet). Getting your face and head wet kind of primes your nervous system to the cold. It helps diminish some of that panic when you hit the water and reduces that fight or flight reaction.

As I was coming out, the first wave was called to the corral with the elites in front and the novice men right behind. My wave would be next so I nervously made my way up near the chute. We were held for a few minutes and then brought down to line up. Oh my gosh, my stomach was full of butterflies. I decided to move back to the halfway point of our pack and onto the outside. It meant a little more swimming than being on the inside but it also meant that no one would be swimming over me for a better spot. If you are a nervous swimmer or not as strong, many suggest lining up at the very back and taking your time. Most tris wont start the next wave until everyone is at a certain point. They want everyone to be safe. Rushing and freaking yourself out won't help anyone. I personally get nervous when everyone is beyond me. I like to be able to gauge my progress based on how other's are moving. This isn't really even competitive. I just want to know I'm making forward progress!

The airhorn goes off and we run in. I try to find some space, but it's tricky. I'm not happy with how I've put the wetsuit on and it's pulling on the front of my neck. I try and make some room in it but it doesn't help. I realize that this is going to be a very tough swim. I can't really breathe well doing a freestyle stroke due to how it's pressing on me so I flip over and do the backstroke. I pass the first turn buoy of our rectangular course. I see that a lot of people are swimming on their backs. By now it's sunny and I just try to look at the clouds and make some sort of forward progress. It's beautiful and I remind myself that this struggle is a gift. I'm able to do this for many reasons and there are others who cannot. Then I remember that I had this vision of charging in, swimming like a dolphin and coming out in the front of the novice pack. It occurs to me that I'm currently swimming with all the speed and grace of a Mola Mola. I laugh at the visual (which is fairly accurate) and flip over to try and actually swim.

I was a little confused about the angle of the picture until I realized that the swimmers in the foreground are in the warm-up area.

I can't. I can't reach far enough to straighten my arm and get any reach. I can't rotate to help push myself forward. When I put my head down to stay streamlined I can hear myself wheeze from the pressure on my neck. I try to cough but it's definitely the wetsuit causing it. I try to just force the swim and after about 4 strokes I end up just kind of splashing in place. What the heck? This is not what it was supposed to be like! I've swum twice as far! I try to tread water and pull my wetsuit up. It helps a teeny bit and I convince myself to swim to the halfway point turn buoy. The entire time my brain is screaming at me to stop. Im trying to block it out but it's exhausting me.

As I grab on to just give myself a second to calm down from my epic wetsuit struggle I see that many people are holding onto the kayaks and boats along the course. Many more than I saw in my last one. We're all being thrown around by the chop. You can't see it from shore at all and it's disguised my the washing-machine effect of swimming in a pack, but it's there. Stopping was actually much worse. As the buoy starts to drift from the pack I catch the eye of a kayaker who is watching me closely. I give him a thumbs-up and swim back out to the others. I just try and swim as best I can to get to that final turn buoy.

I turn the corner and I can see the crowds on the beach. Hundred of people. Cowbell. Spotters waving orange flags to guide us in. People screaming, cheering. They are so close but I feel like I'm on another planet. I swim hard and they appear just as far away. This is what messes with your mind in open water. You can't let yourself think about it too much. Distance in the water feels a billion times further than it is, especially with the tide going out. It doesn't matter. You will get there, you just have to keep at it. I flip over a couple of times to make sure I'm actually moving away from the turn buoy and I am. Faster than I think, actually. As I get closer the waves start and I know we're getting close to being able to stand. I can finally touch the bottom about chest deep and walk myself in. Ideally you swim in until you are almost belly-on-the-sand but I didn't care. I wanted out. Apparently so did everyone else around me as we all professed our love of sand. How did only 1/4 of a mile knock us all on our butts?

I stagger out of the water and struggle to find the motor skills to remove my swim cap. I don't even remember peeling the top half of my wetsuit off, but I did. I waved to my family and tried to run up to transition but couldn't. So many people were cheering for us to keep going but I just felt stunned. I cross into Transition 1 relieved that I would see my bike soon. My bike that I used to be terrified of, and up until last spring wanted nothing to do with purchasing.

It wasn't too bad removing my wetsuit, but it took a bit to get my feet rinsed and my socks and shoes on. I ate an energy gel, gulped some water and took off. I like to wear my race number on a belt during the bike. I just slide it around behind me until the run. It's not needed for the bike, but it ensures I won't forget it in Transition 2. This time I was actually able to run my bike out of T1 to the mount line. I head off and I'm right behind Team Hoyt! They're going at just the speed where I want to pass them, but it's just fast enough that I will be in their way if I slow down or they speed up at all. I use this as a chance to check in with myself and see how I'm doing. I'm actually feeling pretty good and when there's room I decide to pass them with a shout of encouragement.

A few miles in there's a decent hill. I finally remember that I will need to shift to the small ring in the front and get to the top much more easily than before. I fly down the next hill and pass a bunch of people. I kept up with most everyone around me and was really happy to find that I was still passing people, even on the uphills. Hills are not my strength. They're for people much lighter than I am and I try and make up for it as much as I can on the downhills. This course was tough for me. It has a lot of rolling hills, which wouldn't phase an experienced cyclist, but I'm used to fairy flat land. I'm glad I got out there and rode the course twice. It's also really fun with some twists and turns, especially on some of the downhills. It's a very scenic, pretty course that loops back around next to the ocean on the way back. I loved it. I arrived at the dismount line feeling like I had the best ride yet. I ran my bike back, racked it and took off my helmet. I had another gel and water, turned around my race number and I was off again.

I ran out of transition and felt stiffness in the back of my left leg. I'm pretty sure the seat that came with my bike isn't doing me any favors. I get numbness down the inside of that leg while I ride and my foot will eventually get numb too. I walked a little bit at the beginning and then started to run again. It was at the top of the first hill that I had trouble. Glute cramp! It went away a bit as I crested the hill and I carefully ran down the other side. I was fine until the next hill where the cramp came back. I ignored it and it got worse. As great as I felt running, I had to walk every hill. I let it go and decided to just have run with the remaining 2 miles of the race.

The spectators here are great. There are tons of people around the transition area, but plenty in through town too. On the run there were many families that set up their own water tables. You pretty much had water whenever you wanted. There were kids with supersoakers and adults with hoses for anyone who needed a cooldown. I appreciated it since it was getting pretty hot and humid. It was so much fun to race with so many enthusiastic spectators. I mean, we shut down their beach, some of their roads and caused traffic on others and they were more than happy to have us there. About a half mile from the end I could hear the band playing at the finish line. I turned to the girl next to me and said, "I feel like that's the sound equivalent of a mirage...we're really almost there!" She replied, "I'm so relieved you hear it too!"

We went down the last hill, around the corner and the finish was in sight. There were so many people it was happily overwhelming. There was the blue carpet, the fencing and people three or four deep. I saw my family. Strangers yelled my name (this race gets bonus points for personalizing the bib with our names...it's really great). People high-fived me and I ran through the finish arch. I was done! I was so happy and relieved. After getting through that swim, I felt like I could finally enjoy the race. Even the scary swim was enjoyable in some weird, overcoming obstacles kind of way.

The finish area was also nicely done. Having a live band, Aldous Collins, play was a great choice. He was able to infuse more energy and fun into the event. The post race snacks were great too. There was a bagel station with at least peanut butter and jelly (too much for me at that point) and Whole Foods was there with oranges, bananas and hummus/cracker snack packs. They may have provided the bagels too, I'm really not sure (sorry!). There was even iced coffee from Jim's Organic Coffee. We hung around through the awards ceremony and then walked back to our car.

It was a great day. I can't say enough about it. Even my Mom commented on how seamless and stress free the day was (I guess minus the parts where people were wearing wetsuits...haha). I can't wait for the Boston Triathlon (Bill Burnett is part of that team as well) and hope to make it back to Cohasset next year!

One Step at a Time

Boston Strong - MBTA bus on April 27th

First, I want to welcome all of the new readers on here. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to say my last two entries have helped. My posts have been sparse over the last few years, but I've found a new motivation and need to write. If you ever have any questions or even a request for a specific topic, let me know. I'm certainly not an expert on any of this, but I think my perspective may help. I'm just a regular girl with no inherited athletic gifts. It was just that one day the portion of myself that desired to try was greater than the part that was scared. It was this new community of runners, triathletes and spectators that was the tipping point.

I also need to again, thank everyone who has been there for The Husband and I over these past two weeks. Your calls, texts and messages have meant a lot. Even if you just "liked" a comment or status, I know you were thinking of us. If it wasn't for a friend looking out for us, I wouldn't have known to tell The Husband to stay at school on Thursday night when the shooting happened instead of riding his bike right through that area. I drove up to get him and by the time we were headed back, the streets were just swarming with police and SWAT vehicles. We had to pull over to get out of the way and I was shaking hard enough that it was really hard to drive. When I got home, there were dozens of messages on facebook, asking us to let them know we were ok. When we woke up the next morning, to find out we couldn't leave our apartment, there were again, dozens of messages from people checking on us. I had friends and coworkers I hadn't talked to in over a year contacting me and people from a facebook running group that I've never met in real life tagging me in a post to see how I was. Did I expect that amount of attention? No. Did it help? It sure did.

I think the two of us have somewhat moved past the extreme sadness we felt all of the first week. I know I was feeling pretty angry most of this past week too and now that I've had a few days off to catch up on sleep and visit the memorials, I feel a lot better. We're still both sad though and there are moments where something catches one of us off guard and brings it all back like it's brand new. I expect it will be like that for a while. Our neighborhood has been permanently changed.

If anything I have a sense of clarity now. The outpouring of well wishers and support has really shown me just how much people really care. I've always spent as much time with my family as possible and this has really reaffirmed that. Same thing with my friends. We saw a couple of friends yesterday that we hadn't seen in a while and I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day. Those hugs were some of the best yet. That's what I'm focusing on. The positive. The important things. There were some we know well that we still have not heard from. How I feel about that is irrelevant because, it's not about me. They have their own battles to fight. I've learned that you can only put yourself out there and then you have to let it go - and that's ok.

In the spirit of moving on, here's what's next:

https://www.jennyhadfield.com/run-for-peace/

The Peace Marathon can be run or walked, all in one day or in segments, between April 29th and May 31st. The money goes to the One Step Ahead Foundation to benefit the children injured in the Boston Marathon bombings, particularly, those in need of prosthetics. I'm planning on trying to get it all in during the next two weeks. I'm thinking I'll do two 5 milers, a 10K (6.2 miles) and a 10 miler.

The BAA 10K

If registration will allow (opens 5/8), we plan on running the Boston Athletic Associations 10K on 6/23. It's the first race that will occur for the BAA since the marathon and I have a feeling it will fill up fairly quickly. 

The Cohasset Triathlon

A week after the BAA 10K is the Cohasset Triathlon. I've been registered for it since December, but all of a sudden it's in two months!

The Boston Triathlon

On August 4th is the Boston Triathlon. It was my first triathlon ever and it's pretty special to me. I'm really looking forward to it.

Even though I SWORE that I was not going to do anything crazy this summer or fall (famous last words), I've been making myself crazy by looking at longer races. Will I really not do the BAA Half Marathon this year? Am I crazy for looking at Half Ironman triathlons after only one sprint distance race? Could I do a marathon? Or more accurately, would I make myself, and my family, insane if I register for one? Will I lose my motivation and burn out like last summer?

I'm seriously considering doing the Baystate Marathon, the Cape Cod Marathon or the Mount Desert Island Marathon. The latter two are challenging hilly courses, so I'd probably go with MDI if that was the only factor. I've had my eye on it for a while. However, Baystate is close by and a great race. It's also flat and I may need all the help I can get for my first full marathon. While I'm taking some time to think, I'm going to be building up my base mileage to see how I do. I need to test my body and my motivation.

Run for Boston

First of all, wow. Over 250 people read Monday's post. The sharing and reposting I saw and the response from people I've never met is overwhelming and heart warming. I wrote it partly to heal, but I also wrote if for all of you. I hope you stick around here.

Yesterday I ran what some are referring to as "memorial miles". I just had to get back out there and as usual, running was good to me. When I returned the tightness in my chest had eased a bit. I actually felt somewhat hungry and that maybe I'd sleep more than four hours tonight. I know I'm not alone in this and that many others are faring far worse.

The first few pictures are of my morning. First, my BAA Half Marathon jacket (the same group that runs the Boston Marathon, runs a half marathon in the fall), worn to show solidarity. What I didn't expect was the eye-trail from the logo up to my face and their change to sad acknowledgement.  There was the large media presence at the Stuart St side of Copley Sq that I have to weave through to get over to my gym. My gym that, at that time, was on the actual crime scene boundary. Then, a pretty Magnolia tree on my walk. After, are a bunch of pictures from my run. I didn't run to run fast. I ran to embrace all that running in Boston can be. I ran to see all the things I take for granted and I share them to show you that in our sadness, the city is still beautiful.

What you don't see here are the two SWAT team men that I thanked as I was about to start my run. They were a bit taken aback for a second until it sank in. There were the countless runners on their own runs and almost every single one of them gave me a sad eyed smile and nodded. There was the barista this am who gave me my coffees and as he handed them off, with the same sad smile, told me to take care with a look that made me know he meant it. There was the mailman walking through the Fens who gave me a slight smile. So I gave him a big smile. In turn he gave me a wonderful silly toothy grin. Both of us cracked up. Lastly, I caught something pretty awesome in my last photo. As I was waiting for the light at Huntington and Mass Ave, a group of 40 or so runners, every single one of them in BAA yellow and blue, ran by. The lead two held signs:

Run For Boston

I love you, Boston.

Yesterday, I went to my swimming class in Cambridge and then stopped by a running store for earbuds. I had destroyed my second nice pair of earphones and figured the Yurbuds with the kevlar cord may be my last hope. I was heading over to meet The Husband, check out his studio space and then get some dinner with him. Dozens of runners were milling around with their official Boston Marathon bags and badges. Some were even wearing their jackets. I wished some of them luck and then stopped at the big planter in Brattle Square to sit and get my new earbuds out. I twisted them in and then stopped...

The man in the chair had started playing and it was familiar. Neil Young. "Long May You Run." It was a beautiful sunny warm day and I thought, "how perfect is this song? This moment?" The runners stopped and for a few minutes we were all together in that moment. I took a picture just because I wanted to remember how it all stood still. These are the things that are easy to miss. Later I bought that song and was going to post it last night. I hesitated, because even though it's beautiful, it's sad.

I had no idea I'd listen to it again tonight and sob.

This was my view at 6pm tonight. It seems like a cruel joke that something so horrific happened between these two towers just hours before. My first instinct was to be angry at the light coming into my apartment at that time. HOW CAN YOU BE SO BEAUTIFUL RIGHT NOW, BOSTON?! DON'T YOU SEE WHAT THEY DID TO YOU?!

I can't fully express how I feel, but today strikes me close to home, literally and figuratively. I'm angry. I'm heartbroken. I feel sick and I feel like as bad as I feel, it hasn't fully hit me yet. I buy my running shoes at the Marathon Sports that had it's windows blown out in the blast. I tested them out on the stretch of sidewalk thats now covered in blood. I hung out in that store, eating pizza and drinking beer after one of the clinics for the BAA's Half Marathon. This is my home and I don't know when it will feel normal again. The area of the Boston Marathon finish line is part of my daily life. My gym is right there. I sit on the Boston Public Library steps to eat from the food trucks. These things are just tumbling through my head. How will I go back there? And also, damn whoever did this for making me feel like this!

How must Dave McGillivray, Tom Grilk and the rest of the BAA staff feel? What are they going through right now? I have seen, firsthand, how much they love their races and runners. From the slowest to the fastest, they sincerely care. They must be devastated. How must everyone actually affected feel - the scared, the wounded and for those who were lost? One of the lost was an 8 year old boy. It's horrific. I'm angry about that and angry that they took something so loved and honored here, OUR marathon and put a dark mark on the day. I feel for those that put their heart and souls into getting to this race to have it end how it did. I get weepy just daydreaming about the day I qualify (I might be 80 but it will happen!). Can you imagine the joy of running your first (second, third...20th) Boston being stripped away in the terror they must have felt? I dread that we will think of today on every Patriots Day from now on.

As we'd say here, I'm wicked pissed. I have no doubt that Boston will band together and dust themselves off. We may always be in a hurry and we may not say "Hi" when we brush by you on the street, but we will fight for you when you need it. We're Massholes after all, right? I don't look forward to the time it will take to get by this, but we will. I know the running community, from Boston and beyond, will take care of each other. I speak for many when I say, if you're a runner, you're my friend. I'll share post-race beers with you. I'll bump into you on the sidewalk or at my gym. I'll make good, hopefully, lifelong friends just from the suggestion to talk to coworkers because, "hey! So and so runs too!", and when you fall, as you did today, I'll cry for you.

Tomorrow I'll do what I always do when my heart is heavy and broken. I'll run. I'll run for those we lost, the ones who are too injured to run and the ones who are too broken inside to step out. When you're ready, we're here to hold you up at the start line and catch you at the finish. Us, your formerly unknown best friend for race day. For those who have gone on without us, we'll hear your footsteps in ours. We will not forget you.

Long may you run.

link for mobile users who are having difficulty seeing the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zjxz90hLYtw

10 Things About Me

I really enjoy when the blogs I follow post a 10 Things About Me list. It's usually a list of quirky, funny or random things.

1. I love bananas, but there is precisely one day where the stage of ripeness is acceptable to me. One speck of brown and that banana is dead to me. I will carry that gross freckled banana around in my lunch bag for days until I give up and throw it out. I like them to be solidly yellow with maybe even a hint of green. I like them even better if they're cold (and I don't mind if they get a bit brown from the fridge). But mealy, warm and over-ripe? BLEH! I'm trying to at least be good and freeze the ripe ones for other uses. Unfortunately, even those have a short shelf life since our freezer is only committed to keeping ice frozen. I now have a system of buying a bananas in varying stages of ripeness because I hate wasting food.



2. I grab things with my toes. Not like, creepy picking stuff up grabbing, but unintentional. Mostly just to inadvertently torture my husband. Watching tv and my toes are cold? They curl under the back side of his knee. Ooops! Sleeping? Oh man. Apparently after I fall asleep I like to grab the back of his leg with my toes. I have NO IDEA why I do this. If I'm having a particularly good night I get his achilles tendon between my big and "pointer" toe. This usually results in his lurching awake and slapping my leg away. One of his nicknames for me is Creepy-Toes.



3. It seems that my resting/neutral/thinking face make me appear angry/upset. The husband also calls me Madface.

No! I'm just thinking! No! I'm fine! No! I'm just THINKING, not about anything bad. THIS IS JUST WHAT MY FACE LOOKS LIKE! Illustrated perfectly here from krisatomic:

[source]

4. He also refers to me as Anger Girl. Not because I'm actually angry, but I accidentally break a lot of stuff around our apartment and it's usually because I'm too rough with it. The Husband is convinced that I'm really mad on the inside and take it out on our fixtures. Really, I'm probably just in a hurry. Okay, and probably slightly annoyed about something. We have seven horizontal blinds in our apartment. We have replaced nine. In 8 years. Yeah...

(since I started working on this post, a 9th blind has met it's maker)

I've pulled the towel bar apart at least a half dozen times, pulled the bathrobe hanger of the wall with the screws attached and mangled the hot water knob in the shower. Today I for-real trip-to-Home-Depot broke the hot water knob. So now he's also installing hooks for the towels and bathrobes with some super Jillian-proof reinforcement.

I am also on my third iPhone bumper case in less than 3 years (and #4 will be due soon), my second paper shredder and can easily trouble-shoot our garbage disposal. Luckily I drive a Subaru and those are pretty hard to kill (and here I go jinxing myself...it has been making a few weird noises). Although I did pull the lumbar support handle off of the side of the seat...

5. I am kiiiiind of afraid of fresh water. I did my first triathlon in Boston off of Carson Beach. It was a half mile open water swim in the ocean and almost everyone said I was nuts. Some suggested I find one that was a quarter mile to do first. Most said I needed to do a tri with a lake or even pool swim first. No, no, no. First, those pool swim tris look like a GIANT Charlie Foxtrot. Forget it. And fresh water? EWWW! It gives me the heebie jeebies. Sorry landlocked states who will insist if I swam in their "super clean" lake I'd change my mind. No. I won't. I don't care how clean it is. It smells weird, it doesn't have salt and there is the possibility of leeches. Better than sharks? I don't care. Maybe there's a very small chance I'll encounter a shark and it could kill me, but if I find a leech on me I will DEFINITELY go into cardiac arrest. To be completely honest there's also this weird irrational fear. I trust the ocean, but I've seen wayyy too many scary lady-of-the-lake (oooh now she knows I'm talking about her and she's going to get me! AHHH!) movies as a kid. There are no monsters in the ocean, unless you count Sharktopus. Lakes? BRIMMING with monsters who are juuuust waiting for you to swim out far enough so they can grab your feet and pull you under.

I really wish I hadn't thought to bring this up after agreeing to do my first Olympic distance tri (0.9 mile swim) in a lake....



6. I LOVE. Love, love, love the movie The Guardian.

Even more so if I catch it on tv, although I did a permanent borrow of my parents' copy so I can watch it whenever. Rescue swimmers are so awesome. I was joking about the movie with my swim instructor and she laughs and said she just got her certification to train those swimmers. So, yeah. Now I think she's even cooler than before! It's even been the source of a running joke between my husband and I. At one point we were talking about some famous swimmer (I forget who...not Phelps) and I was like, "wait...the one with the number 2 tattoo on his shoulder blade...and....uh....", which got the response of, "Noooo....that was Ashton Kutcher in The Guardian...maybe you should take a break from that movie." HA. Never.



7. I don't mind doing laundry. I actually kind of like the wash, dry, fold part, but oh lordy, I cannot put it away as soon as it's done for the life of me. I will step over the bin of clean clothes for a week until it makes me crazy. I think it's because I always feel a strong need to organize/purge my closet whenever I'm putting them away. It turns into an all day project if I'm not careful. I'm not proud to say that there have been times where I've almost completely emptied the bin by wearing the clothes. Hey, makes for a quick sorting at that point.



8.  I played clarinet from 5th grade through my entire undergrad, which was in music education. It was pretty much all I did. I was in various bands and ensembles, big and small, with my school and a local conservatory and I always took lessons. I didn't do any sports. Music took up all my time. I played in my own commencement band the day I graduated and at the end, I cleaned up my clarinet, closed the case and never opened it again. I think that part is what would surprise people who know me.

Graduation was the last time I played. I didn't plan it that way, but weeks, days and years just went by without me playing. I knew, in the last year of school that it wasn't for me. I love music, but I didn't want to teach it and looking back, I think I was burnt out on playing. I needed a break. I don't regret it at all. It taught me a lot and made me have to be fairly responsible as a teenager. I am also sure I wasn't at all read for my current career back then. I'd say I miss it, but as hard as I try to remember, I can't conjure up how I felt then. People were shocked that I walked away from it, but it was the first time I stopped worrying about what other people thought I should do. You know what? Everyone was supportive. My career and hobbies are a complete 180 from what I had been doing, but I finally feel like "me."



9. The husband says I'm "not nice in the car." Haha. Apparently I'm much better (thanks to an uneventful 900 mile round trip to PA), but previously I was kind of a pain. We'd get as far out of Boston as Saugus and I'd already be singing along to the most annoying song on the radio. I'd need to pee at least 3 times on a four hour trip (I need to stay hydrated!) and I'd probably get hungry twice (small meals people!). There's a good chance that I'd buy candy at some point and have a sugar high (SIIIINGIIIIIIING!!!!!) and a sugar crash (whyyyyy wont you taaaaaalk to meeeee?). The temperature I would feel comfortable with would usually be the opposite of what The Husband wanted. This is mostly due to me wearing whatever I felt like in the car, not usually in consideration of the season. I need to be comfortable on long trips!

(I joke about this now because I try not to do these things anymore. Otherwise, we-are-never-going-anywhere-in-the-car-again-ever.)



10. I frequently hear a song and exclaim, "this song is great! Who is this?! I have to find out who it is and buy the album NOW!". Then I go to great lengths to figure out who it is, to almost always discover I already own the album. The song is usually not the single that's out but one I've listened to a bunch of times already. Case in point?

This Microsoft commercial:

Uh yeah....it's Macklemore. You know, the Thriftshop song? (I'll let you google it) The song in the commercial is off the same album. DUH. It was actually one of the main reasons I didn't just buy Thriftshop.

Here is a great live version:

Hope you enjoyed this (or at least laughed a bit). I swear, I'm not as grouchy as the husband pretends!

Valentine's Suprise

As for every other year, I "cancelled" Valentine's Day. It was fun back in high school and college and fairly easy when he worked for a flower and garden company, but now...I've had enough. I really don't need any more chocolate around here and with him in graduate school, I can't justify either of us spending money on flowers that will die. Although I most likely killed our staghorn fern that was supposedly easy to take care of, so live plants may not be any good for me either. See? No presents! Cancelled! Long waits at overcrowded restaurants where the food and service will probably be rushed? No thank you. I'll see you on Saturday. Cancelled!

All day at work everyone was talking about their dinners plans, people were giving out candy and I was getting a little sad. Not for missing the presents, or even the dinner, but I knew he'd be at school until after midnight. I just wanted him to be home. Which is stupid, because why does Hallmark decide I miss my husband more on one day?

I stay about 30 minutes late at work and then spend 60 minutes driving the 9 miles home. That's with a commute in the opposite direction of typical rush our, but the remaining snow still has the roads pretty messed up. I finally get home and rush around he building to get inside, because I'm exhausted and really hungry. It's funny that I normally look up at our windows to see if the light's on (he's home), even if I know the answer, but I didn't yesterday.

I opened the door to out apartment, which leads to a closet at the bottom of the stairs that take you up into the actual living space. This light was on. That's weird. Did one of us leave them on? The tv is off. Maybe he's not home. Bummer. But he never leaves them on. I do that.

I go up the stairs and HE'S HOME!!! I was so happy I jumped up and down. The I see, he redid the glass hanging terrarium that he gave me a year ago....that I forgot to water...forever...and it died. He had gone way out of his way the day before to get the succulents from a nursery and put it together just before I got home. 

If I hadn't stayed late, it would have ruined the surprise. If I had looked up when I got out of the car it would have ruined the surprise. I am a MAJOR chronic surprise ruiner. It's always a random accident or coincidence that I find out. It's like my crappy superpower. If you try to surprise me I will find out even though I don't want to. Except yesterday!

He also went and got an assortment of maracons. I can't even believe he remembered that I love them. I just had them for the first time recently, but they were frozen. They were still so good that I mentioned how amazing they must be fresh. He also got me a nice card and champagne. I was so surprised and shocked, and felt so bad I didn't do ANYTHING for him that I started crying. Haha. Yup. I sure did. I can't believe he took all that time when he was so busy. That's what really meant a lot.

So I guess I have to officially un-cancel Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day

Reason #1 I will be alone on Valentine's Day! (ok maybe The Husband will be busy at school). Via gchat:


The Husband:  oh yeah, last night you were all taking up the WHOLE bed and I tried to move you and you were like "ih cant"

me:  HAHAHAAAA. omg I actually loled. im crying. thats f'ing hilarious. i actually woke up and told you i cant?

TH:  yep

me:  and then?

TH:  you went back to sleep


Such is his life. I am a light sleeper and I don't remember this at all. Thanks rum left over from the blizzard! I'd promise you a post about the blizzard and most of you would be like, "yeah, right, just like your vacation posts (hey! I still have those pictures....I can still post them!)" and the rest of you would be like, "please no...I've seen enough from you on facebook!

To give you a quick update: I've still been good about the 5 x per week workouts and I start a 75 minute intermediate swim class (read: focus on form/speed) on Sunday to start preparing for my summer triathlons. I'm signed up for the Cohasset sprint on 6/30 and once I get paid I'll sign up for the Boston sprint (which was my first and only so far). I also plan on doing an Olympic distance, but may need to wait until we get our tax return to pay for that.

As far as weight, I gained a bunch through the holidays and now, but have dropped 5lbs of it in the last few weeks. I'll give you some insight on that soon, but I want to put some decent (not 20 minutes before bedtime) thought into it.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow! I used to hate the commercial-ness of the day until my most recent job softened me a bit (and I married my high school sweetheart so I don't know what my problem was). If you're single it's ok. It's most important to love yourself, your family and your friends. Treat yourself to a workout, a manicure/massage/facial, a candy bar you have to eat while hiding in the closet from your kids so you don't have to share, a home cooked meal or whatever makes you happy!