PNW Tri Novices

[kelownagirl]

Wish I could come but I'll be camping down in Osoyoos. Why don't you guys do a long ride up for a visit?

[Wahine]

I can't wait to regale you all with tales of Race Across Oregon. It was amazing.

So I don't need anything except all of you with happy faces and great attitudes.

I just got home from the RAO banquet and desperately need to go to bed. So I'll post more later and send out directions and phone numbers tomorrow.

Sleep tight.

[dex]

I'm going. As of right now, I'm not sure what time I'm going to be able to leave here on Friday. (Wrapping up a project with a client, so my schedule at the end of the week is a little up in the air.)

[salsabike]

Jocelyn, the offer is definitely still open! We can settle on a time in the next day or so. You might want to PM me with your email, phone number, etc.

So...brief training update, too. Since Friday, here's what I've done:

Friday: OWS practice with Teigyr. 1200 yards. Although stopped every 75 yards, probably.
Saturday: 60 mile tandem ride around Lake WA with small group
Sunday: Mary Meyer pool clinic. I love these. They are so good for me and they're really fun.
Monday/yesterday: OWS practice. 1350 yards? And probably stopped every 135 yards. But starting to work out a sustainable MO: 20 strokes of freestyle, 4-6 of sidestroke, 20 of freestyle, etc. I just know there is some THING I am missing about establishing a sustainable breathing pattern in freestyle. So I'll just keep working on it and hope to benefit from others' knowledge.

Tomorrow: pool swim, to reinforce latest lesson from Sunday (BEND YOUR ELBOW IN UNDERWATER PART OF STROKE!).
Thursday: OWS practice.
Friday: Maybe the Uphill Grind. Was going to do that today but think a total day off might be good. Am a little pooped.

Am just not walking long distances until the day of Danskin, when I expect to be able to walk three miles with no trouble. The doc--the nice one, not the idiot podiatrist--said that the stress fracture would not require a walking boot, but just stiff soles, to allow it to heal. I got carbon fiber insoles, very stiff, and am walking with no pain, which he says is the cue to knowing that healing has started (and vice versa, I'm sure).

Last week was with friends in Lake Chelan Tuesday-Thursday, a little Lake Chelan swim (and I do mean little, like 70 yards). Did my first OWS clinic that previous Saturday--first swim in wetsuit, first swim in crowd--and was a little discouraged by it. Then drove to Portland to meet Chris at STP finish line, came back Sunday, did pool swim Monday before going to Chelan. So...will be revving up the swim practice for next four weeks, with two OWS and I hope two pool days a week. I can do this since the bike part is not a big issue and the run is, for me, moot. I don't THINK I'm crazy, but am really sure I can do a half mile swim if I can do the freestyle/sidestroke switching. But would SO like to get over this freestyle-breathing hump.

[NbyNW]

My car came home tonight!

But looking forward to sharing ride with Salsa . . . DH can have the car for the weekend so he can do all the chores that we couldn't get done without the car.

Training update: Rode the Dahon to work a record number of times while the car was out of commission these last two weeks. Also got in weekend riding in the form of biking several miles to/from Pilates and to/from grocery store/farmers market.

Hip feels ready to start some light running, except I did an awkward dismount from the bike on my way home on Monday and pulled an upper quad. Right by the "good" hip. The pull isn't high enough to be the hip flexor, but I've been taking it easy the last couple of days.

Today: massage. Very critical part of training!

Wahine, how are the temps where you are?

I don't have a wetsuit but I have a suit that I've used for kayaking -- keeps the wind out, is kinda splashproof, and I have swum in it -- it lets the cold water in but I warm up again immediately as soon as I'm out of the water.

[Wahine]

Water temps are mid 60's, a kayaking wetsuit will be just fine. And the air temps are typically very comfortable this time of year. Check here for forcast. These guys seem to get it right more often than many of the other websites. It looks like the wind is even going to co-operate more or less. That's saying something here in The Gorge.

[salsabike]

We are aiming to follow all instructions--should be rolling by 2 pm, will call, look forward to bistro! Hope bistro will let us bring our bikes there to leave during dinner....

[Wahine]

Day one completed. No one is dead yet.

[kelownagirl]

Day one completed. No one is dead yet.

Any pictures yet? I've been packing all day, heading to Osoyoos tomorrow. Guess I'll have to wait until next weekend so hear how it turns out. I wish I was there!!

[Wahine]

Oh yes!! There will be pictures!!

We won't be posting for a little while. Still busy.

Eggs for breaky this AM and everyone is pretty hungry for some reason. I can't understand why.

[Wahine]

We had 2 great days. We did a track workout running with drills and warm-up Saturday AM, then rode a picturesque flattish route late Sat AM, lunch at a lovely cafe with fantastic gourmet woodfire pizzas, then chatting at the house about tri. Salsa and Dex allowed me to cut the legs on their wetsuits which was strangely quite fun. Then out for a short OWS to work on sighting and a few drills.

Today we had a great breaky thanks in part to Teigyr who scambled eggs for us. Then out for a full sprint OWS and transition parctice. Everyone did really well, in spite of some wind and sighting difficulties!! They even managed to get the transitions down to less than 2 min on our second go round. I was really pleased!!

Everyone survived but Dex's knee got sore. Salsa managed to finish the swim even with an achy shoulder, she just held back a bit and took it easy. Very smart training.

Then it was off for authentic Mexican to make sure everyone had enough food to get them through the drive home.

They should be home soon. Check in when you can.

Thanks for coming down and thanks for my Pansy starter kit.

[dex]

Home. Showered. So not unpacked. Man, my hair is a mess and of course there's no dye in the house to fix it. And my shoulders are *way* brown.

Had a great time. Thanks for tolerating my slowpokey-ness, everyone! And thanks for putting us up in your gorgeous home and being so giving of your time, knowledge and energy to us, Wahine!

I think I'm going to settle in with some Llamas and Empanadas and veg out for the rest of the evening.

[colby]

Secret buoy sighting techniques, wetsuit cutting, great food, and fun? When's the next one?