Geeked, or, my NYE Tri

As noted earlier, I signed up for TGK's Virtual Tri-Geek Challenge to be completed on New Year's Day (or NYE or 1/2, depending on your schedule). The rules are simple - pick some distances, and then go do them, and include some pictures, too!

I had to "race" today, as my gym is closed on the first, and there is no way I could do this outside. Too COLD!!!



I raced alone, so there was no one but me to take pics, so here I am, starting out for the gym.


Raced, showered, saunaed, dressed, and ready to head off to my post-race lunch at Wendy's. Taco salad and small frosty, here I come!




Since I was racing inside, and on my own time, I did a "reverse" tri, starting with the run and ending with the pool. I also didn't count the time to get down to the locker room, out of my shorts and shirt, and into my suit, as part of the T2 time. Finally, I cut my run short from what I had signed up for, and I'm glad I did. My achilles was screaming, half-way through the bike, and my hip ached all through the pool. Better to cut back a tad, than start the new year fighting off injuries again. I mean, I am still dealing with them, but its manageable, and I don't want to get worse before I get better.

The numbers:

Run - 2 miles -- 27:45
T1 - 1:31
Bike - 10 miles - 28:52
T2 - :51
Swim - 800 yds -- 21:05
TOTAL: 1:20:03

NB: I am *terrible* on the treadmill, and the bike was blazing fast because I was using the indoor stationary bike. I can't ride close to that speed outside, when I'm hauling my body weight around.

A fun "event" and I'm looking forward to trying this again, as a way to measure my fitness progress throughout the year!

2006 in Review

The Races:

2/26/06 - Hyannis Marathon 10K - brrrr, done
4/15/06 - Bunny Boogie, Darien, CT - foggy, cold, slow, but beautiful
6/04/06 - Run for the Rock 5K - nice race!
7/04/06 - Hingham 4th of July 8K Road Race - PR
7/16/06 - Musselman Mini Mussel - Finished, in 95 degrees & HHH
7/30/06 - Danskin Webster Lake - Swim Angel - A Blast!
8/13/06 - Samoset 10K - PR!
9/09/06 - Hyannis Sprint II - DNS, injured hip
10/1/06 - Hub on Wheels - 40 mile ride through Beantown - rain out
10/9/06 - Tufts 10K for Women - Hot, but fun - 7000 women!
10/14/06 - Baltimore Half Mary - Deferred until 2007
11/23/06 - Cohasset Turkey Trot - 5K PR!
11/15/06 - Cow Chip Cross Country Run - DNF after 2.5 miles, but SUCH FUN!
12/31/06 - NYE Tri Geek Challenge - whooohoooo!

The Summary:

A tough sophmore year for me. I started the year with some very challenging personal issues, weight gain, and no motivation. I pushed through a couple of races I should, perhaps, have skipped, and the resulting achey achilles is still bothering me. I had my first DNS, and my first DNF, and my first deferral. All that being said, I kept moving on and making progress, including a suprise 5K PR on Thanksgiving morning. And I lost 10 of the hmmmm pounds I gained at the end of 05/early 06. I'm still UP from my low in October of 06, but I WILL get back there by the time I race my first half in June 07.

Lots to think about for 2007, but I'll be out there again, testing myself more than ever. Look for me on a starting line near you!

The Alphabet Game, Blogger edition.

A - Available/Single? Nope.
B - Best Friend? Melly and sissy.
C - Cake or Pie? Cake. Chocolate. Homemade. Once a year, in August ;-)
D - Drink Of Choice? Red wine, or water.
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? My lappytop.
F - Favorite Color? Red.
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Yick, neither.
H - Hometown? Monkton, Maryland.
I - Indulgence? Dark chocolate, pedicures, and fluff reading.
J - January Or February? January, I love the feeling of renewal and new beginnings.
K - Kids & Their Names? N/A, although my fave names are Andrew and Abigail -- my imaginary twins ;-))
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Family, friends, and furry critters.
M - Marriage date? N/A.
N - Number Of Siblings? Just one, sissy.
O - Oranges Or Apples? Oranges, if they are really good. Do clementines count?
P - Phobias/Fears? Heights.
Q - Favorite Quote? "My Strength Lies Mainly in My Tenacity," Louis Pasteur.
R - Reason to Smile? A.
S - Season? Summer.
T - Tag 3 or 4 people? If you read this, you're tagged.
U - Unknown Fact About Me? Good lord, I ramble about everything. I used to have green hair, from pool chlorine, when I was in junior high. Talk about trauma!
V - Vegetable you don't like? Brussels sprouts and peas.
W - Worst Habit? Failure to do the dishes? Not hanging up my clothes?
X - X-rays You've Had? Head CT. But hey, I'm fine. Really . . . .
Y - Your Favorite Food? Chocolate, lobster, anything really well prepared. I just plain love food.
Z - ? Zzzzzzzz. If you're still awake, play along!

Thanks to Miss Rachel for the tag.

A few more holiday pics

(Blogger won't let me upload any more in the previous post)


Me, being silly, Christmas afternoon:

Sissy and family, saying goodbye to the old house!

Santa was very, very good to me.

A number of the more tangible items on my list showed up under the tree, including a digital camera, so I can finally share some of my *own* photos. Here are a few from the week, which encompasses Christmas with the various family units, and helping my sister and the boys pack and move into their lovely new home.

One of the many variations of "family." The two grey-haired gentlemen in the center are Dad and his brother, Uncle Bob. Everyone else in the photo is "related" by marriage.



Cousins!



Auntie and I.R.G. (my younger nephew)



J.N.G. (the big brother)

My sister's "Mini Me." He is the spitting image of her at the same age.

Merry Merry!

Wishing you all a safe, peaceful, and happy holiday. See you in 2007!

KLN

V. Short, V. Windy Trail Run.

Back at World's End, this morning, fast becoming my favorite place to run. It's a short uphill to start, with a short "flat" then back straight up, a small roll down, back up to the highest point on the reservation, and then down, down, down, back to the entrance. That's the short loop, which was all I could manage this morning. I was cold and tired (more insomnia), and the wind was blowing my sniffles straight sideways ;-)

The view is spectacular from the top -- Boston to the left, Hull to the right, the Harbor Islands in between. It's cloudy and overcast, do there wasn't really much of a sunset, but there was a deep red sky off to the southeast.

Time: 22:20, distance, around 1.5 miles.

*Pieces* Of My Mind.

Last night, I made my grandmother's fabulous christmas pound cake for the office recipe exchange today. I even made the butter cream in red, white, and green, to frost it, just like she did. I stayed up late (for me) -- until after 11 to finish it. Except the cake wouldn't come out of the pan, and started to crack. I left it alone, went to sleep and tried again at 2 AM, no joy ---- cake in about a dozen pieces, and the bottom inch still in the pan.

I can't take it to work, and I guess I should probably throw it away. What a waste -- I'm sick about it. I guess I could put it in a zippy bag and take it to my sister's house, and we could munch on the chunks, and even dip the piece in the icing, but it is certainly *not* an elegant presentation.

Grrrrr.

Here is the recipe, anyway:

Nana Metzger's Christmas Pound Cake
3C sugar
¾ pound unsalted butter (3 sticks), softened
6 eggs
3 C flour
1T vanilla
1C milk

Warm milk and add vanilla.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time.
With the addition of each egg, add a portion of the milk and flour.
Beat until smooth.

Pour into a greased, floured Bundt or tube cake pan.
Bake at 325 for 90 minutes (but check it after about 75).

Serve plain, or with holiday buttercream!

The opposite of action is not inaction: it is presence.

The mantra from today's daily yoga practice, which was designed to link hamstring stretches of standing poses, with seated hamstring stretches (Day Two from Judith Lasater's 30 Essential Poses practice).

It was absolutely perfect for what my body needed today. After yesterday's run my troublesome right side, and especially my hammie, was tight and complaining.

Funny, how yoga does that -- so often is provides not what you want, but what you need.

Merry Christmas to Me!

It is indeed the Volvo C70 from my list. My first "new" car in 11 years, woooohooo!

Getting back on track

This morning's run, 3.0 miles, 38:37.

Mile 1 (comfy pace): 13:04
Mile 2: Fartleks - every 2:00 on the evens, sprint hard for :30, then walk for :90. Time, 12:24
Mile 3 (comfy pace, including UP the hill and NO walk breaks): 13:09

It felt GOOD to be back out there. A nice, calm, warm morning, too. 52 degrees and grey.

10,513 miles.

16 hours time difference.

31 days.

My "Eagle" has landed, or so it appears.

What's a little obstacle or two?

Quick & easy Spicy-Ginger Basmati rice

I'm switching to Basmati rice, because I'm tired of sticky, soupy, gooey brown rice, and because Basmati is better for your, according to ayurveda. I made this dish this afternoon, to have available all week. I think it will be terrific with the squash/lentil recipe below that I made again tonight, or as a side with the jumbo shrimp I have for tomorrow night, or added cold into a salad to add some texture and flavor.

Here's the recipe:

Makes 4-6 servings
3 oz. gingerroot peeled & grated (I grate from a frozen piece of garlic, sooooo easy)
8 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil or ghee
1 tsp. crushed red chiles (I used crushed red pepper flakes)
1 bunch scallions, chopped
4 cups pre-cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped cilantro (optional)
lime juice and tamari soy sauce

Heat olive oil in large skillet or heavy saucepan over medium-high flame. Add red chiles/peppers and cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add chopped scallions, stir for a few moments.

Deglaze the pan with 2T lime juice and 2T tamari. Stir, turn off the heat, and then fold in the rice. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Ban Blogger Beta!

But seriously folks, I can't post on anyone's blog who has gone "beta" using my blogger ID, only my gmail account, which takes you nowhere. So if you see a rash of comments from "kl" that's me.

What a pita. Just stick with the old version, it seems to work much better. I ain't switchin'. No sir, no way. Pfffffttt.

2007 is coming together!

I've got the following "A" races on my schedule for next year:

2/25 - Hyannis Marathon 10K

6/3 - Covered Bridges Half Marathon

7/29 - Midsummer Triathlon

10/13 Baltimore Running Festival Half-Marathon

If I add another tri, and a bunch of local road races (all Bs or Cs), like the 2007 versions of the Bunny Boogie (April), the Hingham Fourth Road Race (July), and the Samoset 10K (August), I should have a pretty full calendar!

Get your Geek On . . .

. . . And sign up for TGK's Virtual Tri-Geek Challenge!

I've signed up for an 800 yd swim, a 10 mile bike, and a 3 mile run.

What a fun way to start off the New Year, Woot!

Two things:

(1) I am floundering and I need a training plan. I need to make order out of chaos. I need to find TIME. I need STRUCTURE.

(2) Do I sign up for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon this morning? Registration sells out in a handful of hours, so its NOW or NEVER (at least for 2007).


Edited to add:

From: support@active.com
Date: 11 Dec 2006 06:17:10 -0800 (I didn't wait very long)
Subject: Registration Confirmation
To: @gmail.com

This message is generated as confirmation of your recent registration on Active.com. You have been successfully registered for the following:

Registration: The 16th Annual Covered Bridges Half Marathon
Purchase Date: 12/11/06
Category: Registration
Event Date: 06/03/07
Name: KLN

Time to put together a real training plan!

By the numbers.

Last week I had a physical with bloodwork, for the first time in about five years. I got the results back yesterday, and I was extremely pleased.

Chol. down 30-40 points, and now normal
Ch/HDL ratio 3.7 (optimum is 3.5)
HDLs and Triglycerides all where they should be
LDLs still a tad high, so I need to work on that.

I'm really happy, I've truly made myself healthier, which is really the whole point of all of this. Woohoooo!

Lists

The Geek Girl tagged us readers asking for our Christmas lists. I love making lists, but I hate the gimme gimme of Christmas lists. That being said, yeah, there are some things I'd love, practical, impractical, realistic, and unrealistic. In no particular order:

1. A digital camera. *Any* digital camera.

2. A new car. That's a Volvo C70 'vertible, for anyone that cares. Perhaps my X-mas gift to myself?

3. A Polar RS200SD HRM. In red, please.

4. A way to teleport myself to Oz, for New Years, and again on January 4.

5. One of the many lovely, spendy sweaters from Terry bicycles.
I mean, c'mon, I'd look *great* in that sweater! Heck, I'll take any of the glorious, funky, fun jerseys or cycling skorts from Terry, too.

6. The grant of Summary Judgment in my FLSA case. The one that's been taking *all* my time, *all* fall. 'Nuff said.

7. Negative 10 pounds? Ok, how about I just ask Santy Claws to help me stay on the straight and narrow this season, and continue the progress forward. While I'm being nuts, I'd like to take a couple mins/mile off my 5K time, too.



8. Peace.



9. My dream bike (as of this week, anyway)
*And* the ability to put it together, take it apart, and fix it.

10. Health, happiness, and security.

11. Snow, between 12/28 and 1/2, so I can finally go snowshoeing!

12. A safe, easy move for sis and the boyz.

13. The ability to see my family and friends more easily, and more often.

14. And *no* resulting weight gain!

15. For everyone here: (that's the rose, thank you very much)



Now you've all been tagged. List away!

Eat more veggies!

I tried "Veggie Tuesday" last spring, and I'm back to trying to have more veg days. I'd like to become an accomplished vegetarian cook. Tonight's dinner - looks terrific, yes?

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 red bell pepper,
• 1 carrot,
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup Riesling or other medium-bodied, high-acid, semisweet white wine
• 1 acorn squash, halved, seeded, peeled,
• 3/4 cup red lentils
• 1/2 teaspoon salt,
• 1/4 teaspoon Freshly-ground black pepper,
• Coarsely chopped toasted walnuts for garnish


1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, carrot, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften but are not browned. Add the curry powder and stir constantly for about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the vegetable stock, wine, squash, and lentils. Increase the heat to medium-high. When the liquid begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the squash and lentils are tender. (Check occasionally as the dish cooks and add water if necessary.) Stir in the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

3. Spoon the dish into a large serving bowl or into individual shallow bowls and garnish with walnuts.

I've got a big container of basmatic rice I made last night, in case I want more with it. And maybe a salad. With some nice creamy goat cheese croutons, pehaps? Clemmies and pineapple for dessert. I'm guestimating that a cup of the lentils/squash, with a cup of rice, a salad with a little cheese, and the fruit, is about an 11 point meal -- but all good, high quality, fabulous food. The way TO eat! Hmmmm, yummy.

But first, off to the pool, and then the office. Sigh.

Edited to add: The lentil/squash curry takes more than 20 mins to cook, but it was terrific! The salad I made first was also fabu. A plate of greens, some slices of clementine, crumbles of goat cheese with lemon zest, and a sprinkle of walnuts. I dressed it with a dressing of 1t olive oil, 2T rice wine vinegar, 1T OJ, & fresh pepper. Soooooo good :-)

Ten things, part whatever.

Here's a meme I picked up from Jammies, from a Brit friend (thus the sassy sentence structure). Give it a go yourself and see how you get on; the way it works is this: post a comment and I'll give you a letter if you ask nice. Then list ten things that you like that begin with that letter. It's all about the loose letters, round here...

Although I'm not sure what a "loose letter" is, mine is R:

1). Roses. One of my favorite flowers, especially Rosa rugosa, the simple, sweet, elegant beach rose.

2). Relatives. You knew I'd find a way to make a reference to my beloved nephews.

3). Reading. I'm a book fiend. 'Nuff said.

4). 'Riting. I blog. I'm a lawyer. DUH.

5). Running. This is, after all, a triathlon blog. What's amazing is that three years ago, I never would have said I liked running. I did it because it is what gets you to the finish line in a tri. Now, although it is still very very hard for me, I enjoy it all for itself. And especially how I feel when I'm finished my run.

6). Red. Absolutely my favorite color.

7). Red wine. Only coincidentally related to #6, and my favorite thing to drink. I'm sipping a lovely WA Syrah, as I type this.

8). Boston Red Sox and Cornell Big Red. Another happy coincidence? I think not. Destiny took me to Ithaca, and then, eventually, Bean Town.

9). PaRis. The city I adore. *My* city. Rhymes with my name. Got it?

10). Romance. Hmmmmm, and sigh. It's all good :-)

The Voracious Reader

(With apologies to The Occasional Athlete)

One book that changed your life.
Encounters with the Archdruid, by John McPhee.

I'm pretty sure this is the book that made me decide for sure I wanted to do environmental work, and eventually become an attorney. I read it my senior year at Cornell, in a class called Religion, Ethics, and the Environment. Probably my favorite class, too.

One book that you've read more than once.
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott.

What can I say, a fabulous book about girls becoming women and learning to become themselves. I still love it.

One book that you'd want on a deserted island.
Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell.

I find something new every time I read it. You can read it through, cover to cover. Or you can pick a certain vignette and read it as a short story. It has love, passion, desire, war, politics, drama, and even a bit of comedy, tucked in here and there.

One book that made you laugh.
Anything by Bill Bryson.

One book that made you cry.
Paula, by Isabel Allende. So so moving.

One book that you wish you had written.
Slow Fat Triathlete, by Jayne Williams. See the quote in my Inspirational Quotations, above.

One book you wish had never been written.
I can't imagine wanting a book to have never been written. If I had to pick one, maybe Mien Kampf, for the pain and sorrow it eventually caused?

One book that you are reading at the moment.
I am about to take on The End of Surrow, by Eknath Easwaran. Time to expand my repertoire, and finally get into the Gita.

One book that you've been meaning to read.
I'm pretty good at keeping up with my lists, so I can't think of anything at the moment.

More work. More work. And more work.

All work and no play makes KLN a very dull girl.

Luckily, there was some play involved, but its been a crazy, stressful week. I've managed a swim, some yoga, some weight training, and hoping to head to the pool tonight. Although I'm beat, so maybe I'll just go laze on my couch and fall asleep to the Da Vinci Code, for the third time. What a stinker of a movie!

Tomorrow a 10AM hike with a friend, and a bike ride if the rain holds off. Sunday, well, more work, but also the pool at some point, probably first so I don't have the "I'm too tired" excuse.