Monday, August 25, 2008

Seriously?

I was so excited. Tonight was my first swim lesson at IUPUI. Let me put it bluntly...IT SUCKED! I enrolled in an intermediate class with the description "Must know a minimum of two strokes and have basic water skills. The focus will be on stroke development." OR NOT! We floated for 30 minutes and then the instructor told us to just "Do whatever" for the last 15 minutes of class while she chatted with her friend the other incompetent instructor. So, I swam a 600 in a pool that was 82 nasty degrees and then drove my ass home from downtown. I am not happy and someone will hear my wrath tomorrow as I demand my money back. One of the instructors actually did not know how to do the side stroke. She had to ASK someone else. Seriously?!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Water, water everyhere

I had a pretty decent, if not incredibly busy weekend. I went to see Frosty on Friday and had a very lovely ride. Jarrett and I are going to make a very conscious effort to ride him as often as possible while the weather remains nice.

Saturday morning I went down to the White River and learned to water ski. Yes, I water skied on the river. It was actually a great place to learn. The water was warm and there was no chop to deal with. I made it to my feet on the 3rd pull! I can check one more item off my list of things to do before I'm 30.

Sunday I went to work for awhile and did some grocery shopping. Jarrett and I relaxed for a bit until it was time to head back to Lafayette for his riding lesson. Frosty was a good boy for me while we worked on some flat work. The bad part was him snapping his bridle. Alas, it was a cheapo ebay bridle and I'm not terribly sad to see it go.

Today I signed up for swimming lessons at the IUPUI Natatrium. Lessons start next Monday and meet on Monday and Wednesday nights. I signed up for the intermediate class because I do know how to swim, I just suck. This will be a good adventure for me. Not only am I going to have to go attempt not to make a fool of myself in the water, I will also have to drive downtown. We have lived in Indy for 4 years and I have only driven downtown by myself twice. Even more nerve racking, next week I have to drive to Chicago for a training class and will have drive in downtown Chicago. AAGGGHHH!

Jarrett and I rode our bikes to the pool tonight and I swam about 800 meters. I have a riding lesson tomorrow and plan to swim and run on Wednesday.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Swimming.. :(

The pool is my friend....the pool is my friend....the pool is my friend. Maybe if I keep repeating these words it will become true! It is not that I don't like swimming, I do. I just don't like feeling like I'm a rock. I swam on Monday and again today and both sessions I felt like I was in some sort of fight to stay afloat. I have GOT to get a grip on this before the tri!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

1:00:35

Jarrett, Cyndi, and I ran the ISO Circle the City 10K race this morning...and I KICKED ASS! I finished in 1:00:35. This is a huge personal best for me. My last 10K was 1:07:55. I actually felt like a real runner today. I am honestly still in shock with my time.

More later...must go to work :(

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

11Things About Me

Sara inspired me to share a peek into my life. I don't have the patience to come up with 100, so I'll start with 11:

1. I met my husband Jarrett at Purdue. We were in the Purdue "All-American" Marching Band together. He played trombone and I played clarinet. We marched next to each other in the famous "Block P" formation our sophomore year.
2. I had mono in college. It was horrible and I swear I've never been the same since.
3. My favorite book is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It is a novel by E. L. Konigsburg that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1968.
4. I miss my dog Belle every day. She was the sweetest most loving animal ever.
5. My job involves unimaginable quantities of baked goods. No, I don't eat them and yes I wear a hairnet.
6. I hate to drive.
7. Pink is my favorite color followed closely by red and blue.
8. I want to own a hobby farm. I have no interest in making money, but I would love to raise goats, chickens, and cows and have room to keep Frosty.
9. I love to read. I rarely have time to sit down and enjoy a book, but when I do, I finish them in record time.
10. I would love to someday live in Wisconsin, Canada, or Ireland.
11. I am very impatient.

Is it Friday yet?

The weekend was fun! Jarrett and I went to cheer on some of our horsey friends at a competition on Saturday. This competition was a USEA sanctioned event and a little pricey for my taste. I decided to sit it out this year. Frosty and I show for fun. We are never going to be nationally ranked. Competing at a recognized event brings with it a different atmosphere. The schooling shows I did this year were fun. They are meant for riders of all ages and levels to learn and receive constructive criticism. Sanctioned events are much more intense. There are LOTS of rules. You have to wear certain clothing. You can't use certain tack on your horse. You are subjected to random drug testing (of the horse, not the rider!). The judging is less constructive and sometimes down right mean. At this point, it looks like we are done showing for the season. Jarrett and I hope to make a trip down to Kentucky in late August with our barn mates to school at some of the cool cross country complexes in horse country. We may even get to ride the Rolex course.

Sunday we ran! I haven't done a long run in awhile, so we were a little slow. We did go 6.2 miles and I didn't feel like total crap on Monday. So I've got that going for me! I did get a blister on my right foot, but I am going to try a few different things this weekend at the ISO race. I've been using Body Glide and maybe I need to skip it.

I also had a fantastic ride on Sunday! I had not seen Frosty in like 9 days so he was pretty full of himself. We decided to release his pent up energy by working on jumping and he had a blast. It just reminds me if I had the time to ride him every day what kind of a talent he would be.

Monday I went to the pool and did 2000 meters followed by a 1.5 mile cool down run. The pool was a little on the warm side. The other gentleman swimming laps agreed that it felt like we were actually swimming in a hot tube instead of a pool. I was very pleased that the nice life guard let the two of us have an extra half hour of lap swim time while they got the pool ready for water aerobics. I've already made a mental note to bake the kid cookies.

Work is total chaos this week and I feel like it should be Friday by now. Alas, it is only going to be Wednesday. I have a lovely Wednesday evening bike ride to look forward to followed by a Thursday swim/run and a Friday rest day. Saturday is a 10K. I'll be sure to update you with my slow ass times ;) I may be slow, but at least I'm out there doing it!

Friday, August 1, 2008

What a week! I went to visit my parents in South Bend for a nice long weekend. Mimi (Amelia - our sheltie) and I made a girls weekend of the trip and left Jarrett in Indy to enjoy sprawling in the bed without a wife kicking him and Mimi trying to hog the bed.

Saturday was wonderful. Mom and I went shopping and she bought me new running shoes for my birthday. :) I went to Metro Run and Walk in South Bend and the owner fitted me with new Brooks. They are the same style I've been wearing but they felt better then any of the others I tried on. I have incredibly flat feet and my right foot is signficantly more narrow then my left. Brooks actually has an option to pay a little extra and they will sell you two shoes in different widths or sizes. I may take them up on this option next time if I continue to get blisters. I also bought my tri suit! It's pink!


Sunday was nice and relaxing. My parents took me to dinner at a wonderful little local place that serves the best prime rib.

Monday we went to Lake Michigan to visit some family who were renting a cabin on the lake for the week. It was nice seeing the family and the weather and water was beautiful. It also gave me a chance to do a little open water swimming. That went....okay. I'll admit it makes me a bit nervous to swim far out in the lake.

Tuesday I made the trek back to Indy. No tickets this time! It was also my birthday. I am now 29. I thought I'd give you my list of things I hope to accomplish in the next year:

1. Complete my first triathlon (September 6, 2008)
2. Complete two more half-marathons (October 18, 2008 and May 2009)
3. Complete the Eagle Creek Sprint Tri Series (June, July, August 2009)
4. Sign-up for a full marathon (either Chicago or the Indianapolis Marathon)
5. Travel abroad
6. Visit a new state
7. Get another Sheltie
8. Improve my riding skills and compete at a few local shows
9. Stay active and healthy
10. Be a good person