Ironman Louisville race report coming soon, I promise! But right now I am really sick, probably just from the stress of the past few weeks. Last weekend was crazy, and the race was the least stressful part! Seriously, racing for me is just fun. I am very focused, but when I get to the start line, my work is done and I just get to enjoy my fitness and race my hardest. Pushing myself to the utmost is not that difficult for me, to be honest. It hurts like crazy but I am used to that ;)
A quick recap of past events, race not included: Friday I flew out to Louisville, and 'cause I wanted to wait 'till I was out of class I didn't get in until 11:45. PM, that is. Rented a car, drove to my hotel and crashed...only I couldn't sleep properly due to excitement. Saturday I head to the host hotel to check in and hang around the expo for a bit. I decide to stop by an ATM to get some cash, since I don't like swiping my card multiple times a day if I can help it. Get the cash...but don't grab the card in time so back into the machine it goes! I didn't know at the time that the ATM machines will usually shred the card when this happens, so I spent the next three hours desperately trying to get SOMEONE to get my card back for me. No one, even the police (yes I was that desperate) could/would help. Finally, after I call my bank I realize that the card is gone for good. Yay. Order a new one and pray that the cash I have will last through the weekend. Nope...but I have the best Mom in the world and she sent me some money. By that time I have about 1 hour to get back to my hotel, pack my race day bags, pick up my bike and get everything down to transition. I get there literally 5 minutes before it closes but manage to get it all in place. Whew!
I was hoping to visit Churchill Downs (the racetrack where the Kentucky Derby is held every year!!!) but it was getting late, so I ended up stopping by Whole Foods for dinner instead. They had my favorite pre-race sushi (shrimp roll, cooked since I am paranoid before big events) and also some young coconuts which I grabbed for part of my breakfast the next morning. Then I went back to my hotel and just tried to relax. It was hard though, since I couldn't stop thinking about the class I was going to miss on Monday. Grad school is scary!
Race day came and went, and all in all I am satisfied with my performance. Gave my best, that's all I can ask of myself. The next morning I changed my flight so I could have more time to hang around the expo in hopes of getting a roll-down Kona slot. Nope. Head the the airport, where it turns out there was a mix-up with my flights. My mom and I proceed to spend the next several hours calling every single airline that flies anywhere near Lubbock, trying to get me home. I get to Chicago, where there are more flights available, and FINALLY am able to book a flight that will take me through Memphis, to Lubbock. Sweet relief! There is nothing more stressful than sitting in an airport far away from home, thinking that you are going to be stranded there for the night, having no idea how on earth you are going to get home without spending several hundred dollars that you really don't have. But it all worked out. I got home to Lubbock late Monday night, and ever since then I have been desperately trying to catch up on readings and assignments. Grad school does not allow one to fall behind, even for a day or two!
Now I am just praying that this sickness goes away fast, so I can focus entirely on schoolwork. Thank God this is recovery week!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sunshine, sunflowers and all things smiley! And grad school :P
Ha, ha. You know when you're really tired, drink some coffee then you're artificially awake? Exhausted but jittery at the same time...that's me right now! I apologize in advance. Just got out of orientation #494849283, and have another later on today! I think it's 'cause I'm a grad student, NEW grad student, HISTORY grad student, grader, TA and maybe RA. But at least all my questions, plus a billion questions I never had, are answered. I've gotten to meet a ton of new friends already, and boy it is awesome! The faculty at Texas Tech are so personal and fun, and the students are really friendly. I don't feel nervous at all :)
Lubbock is just awesome - such a unique little place, I love it! Today I didn't use my GPS at all and I didn't get lost once! A great accomplishment for me. The weather is beautiful so far, lots of sunshine and great temps. And as I mentioned in the title, there are sunflowers everywhere :) I am going to plant a garden right outside my house, and though it won't feature sunflowers (too tall, too many weeds) I will fill it with some colorful favorites :) Speaking of my house - again, I love it! Get used to seeing that phrase, 'cause my next several posts are definitely going to feature many of the things I love about my new life here. The house is a cute little effeciency right behind my friend Blake's house. He has the coolest Boxer in his backyard, so everytime I set foot outside my place I run back and forth along the fence, playing chase with her. She (Lolo) gets really excited and starts barking like crazy. Sorry Blake!
I'm working on fitting the house out with furniture right now. Since I have 27 books to buy this semester, you can bet that a bookcase or two is in order. Also I'm going to frame several photos of Limo and I and put them up on the walls :) I am loving the kitchen, and already have made several awesome dishes...chickpea curry, cauliflower soup, lentil salad, coconut yogurt...LOL! funny story about that yogurt:
Two days ago, I made a batch of coconut yogurt and put it in the incubator. But I forgot that it takes 7 hours to incubate, and when I arrived home exhausted at 9, I realized that the yogurt had three more hours to go. I know from experience that when I'm really tired, I won't hear my alarm, so I stayed up to wait 'till it was done. But I was SO TIRED! I foolishly decided to have a glass of wine while I waited, and I hadn't had wine in months, and it was really good...so I had another glass. Now two glasses may not seem like a lot, but it hit me hard! I passed out, totally forgot about the yogurt (which turned into an inedible curdled mess) and woke up at 5 the next morning. Oops! I made it to the pool at 6, but the workout was useless...LOL I felt awful, just barely hanging onto my form as I pathetically paddled my way across the pool and back for an hour. No more wine for me until the season is over!
Anyway, today I am feeling a little "off", not sick but since there are only 4 days 'till IM Louisville I am treating my body as if I were. No training today, except maybe a 30-minute swim later on. All endorphin-addicted athletes who have taken an off day or two know how I'm feeling right now. If any of my friends in Lubbock read this, please be warned that I may not be an angel right now. But I will try!
Oh man. I was talking with Blake today about flying out to Louisville. I can't believe that the race is so close! I haven't raced an ironman in nearly a year. The distance is no challenge, but the racing part is. I've been training like an ultrarunner this past season, 'cause I had four ultras and only one triathlon, so it will be interesting to see how Louisville goes. I will be better prepared for IM Arizona in November. I want to race Kona next year (hopefully I'll qualify at IM St. George in the spring) so I need to really focus on triathlon for the next year or so. Living so close to several incredible triathletes should make this easy!
Sorry for the rambling post. I feel weird. After I've had my fill of endorphins this weekend, and caught up on sleep, I will be back to normal. My version of normal anyway ;)
Lubbock is just awesome - such a unique little place, I love it! Today I didn't use my GPS at all and I didn't get lost once! A great accomplishment for me. The weather is beautiful so far, lots of sunshine and great temps. And as I mentioned in the title, there are sunflowers everywhere :) I am going to plant a garden right outside my house, and though it won't feature sunflowers (too tall, too many weeds) I will fill it with some colorful favorites :) Speaking of my house - again, I love it! Get used to seeing that phrase, 'cause my next several posts are definitely going to feature many of the things I love about my new life here. The house is a cute little effeciency right behind my friend Blake's house. He has the coolest Boxer in his backyard, so everytime I set foot outside my place I run back and forth along the fence, playing chase with her. She (Lolo) gets really excited and starts barking like crazy. Sorry Blake!
I'm working on fitting the house out with furniture right now. Since I have 27 books to buy this semester, you can bet that a bookcase or two is in order. Also I'm going to frame several photos of Limo and I and put them up on the walls :) I am loving the kitchen, and already have made several awesome dishes...chickpea curry, cauliflower soup, lentil salad, coconut yogurt...LOL! funny story about that yogurt:
Two days ago, I made a batch of coconut yogurt and put it in the incubator. But I forgot that it takes 7 hours to incubate, and when I arrived home exhausted at 9, I realized that the yogurt had three more hours to go. I know from experience that when I'm really tired, I won't hear my alarm, so I stayed up to wait 'till it was done. But I was SO TIRED! I foolishly decided to have a glass of wine while I waited, and I hadn't had wine in months, and it was really good...so I had another glass. Now two glasses may not seem like a lot, but it hit me hard! I passed out, totally forgot about the yogurt (which turned into an inedible curdled mess) and woke up at 5 the next morning. Oops! I made it to the pool at 6, but the workout was useless...LOL I felt awful, just barely hanging onto my form as I pathetically paddled my way across the pool and back for an hour. No more wine for me until the season is over!
Anyway, today I am feeling a little "off", not sick but since there are only 4 days 'till IM Louisville I am treating my body as if I were. No training today, except maybe a 30-minute swim later on. All endorphin-addicted athletes who have taken an off day or two know how I'm feeling right now. If any of my friends in Lubbock read this, please be warned that I may not be an angel right now. But I will try!
Oh man. I was talking with Blake today about flying out to Louisville. I can't believe that the race is so close! I haven't raced an ironman in nearly a year. The distance is no challenge, but the racing part is. I've been training like an ultrarunner this past season, 'cause I had four ultras and only one triathlon, so it will be interesting to see how Louisville goes. I will be better prepared for IM Arizona in November. I want to race Kona next year (hopefully I'll qualify at IM St. George in the spring) so I need to really focus on triathlon for the next year or so. Living so close to several incredible triathletes should make this easy!
Sorry for the rambling post. I feel weird. After I've had my fill of endorphins this weekend, and caught up on sleep, I will be back to normal. My version of normal anyway ;)
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