Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

Did get new running shoes yesterday, but have done nothing with them yet, aside from dragging them home. I love buying running shoes, too, I’m probably the least difficult customer they get: “Yes, I’d like the Asics Gel Evolution in an eight and a half, 4E width. Thanks.” Always works, always does me right, no matter what they’re calling the shoe this year (they’ve changed the name at least three times in the 8 years I’ve been running).

Did bike around town yesterday on the mountain bike. Up to shoe shop, then to dinner, then home again. Such fun riding through city streets at night (not). Though my absolute favorite part is passing the folks who look like they’re uber-fit on their light little road bikes when I’m on my heavy, heavy steel frame mountain bike. Yes, it’s petty, but it gives me some measure of satisfaction that I can pass them on an uphill on my heavy bike. Might not be able to outdo them on a straight stretch, but I have at least that much ability on the hills.

Anyway, enjoying the last bits of slackersville, because the next event is just around the corner. In the meantime, club happy hour tomorrow, and a practice triathlon on Saturday for our newbies. Looking forward to getting going again, though. I get antsy after too much down time.

Sleepy tonight, long day at work on not quite enough sleep. The first day back wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Did find out my semi-boss is going to transition into a plain ole coworker and we’re going to find a new semi-boss, which is fine, I like the semi-boss and am glad he’ll do that rather than burn out and/or leave; he’s good people.

Debating the course of my training now. I’d like to find another triathlon race this year as well as the marathon. In the meantime I’d also like to do some body work in the form of core training and some good yoga for balance. And I’d also like to focus on dropping some of the extra weight I’m carrying around, since it’s not exactly the most helpful thing to carry during a race. One day at a time.

And I still need to write up the race this weekend.

Did get some much needed laundry done, and some bike maintenance. Need to take both bikes in sometime soon to have them tuned. The rear deraileur on the mountain bike was being silly as I cleaned the chain tonight, so I suspect that needs looking at, and I should have the tri bike cleaned up after the rain mess it went through in the race. Also managed to get some bills sent off for reimbursement by insurance and my health savings account, so that will help the state of the savings account a little bit.

And now, time to crash. After I get some new shoes next week I’ll get back to running, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying being able to sleep in, even if only for an hour.

I was going to sit down and write up the rest of the trip report, but I’m just too wiped out to do it, and I have other things on the brain tonight.

The race went well. It was wet, wet, wet, wet, wet. And not just the swim. But I’ll post more details later in a longer race report. I did finish, and about where I thought I would, which was not bad.

The trip was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed spending all that time with my parents. Again, I’ll post my final thoughts on that later.

Mostly my brain is focused on tomorrow. I have to run several errands on the final day of vacation, including getting a new driver’s license with the new address, picking up my backup glasses, a haircut, some exercise of some sort, and a dinner date. I’m actually excited about the date, which hasn’t happened in a while. But I don’t want to jinx it by overanalyzing it here. Suffice to say I’m looking forward to it.

So, until then, I’m going to go unpack and enjoy being back in my own bed (which doesn’t have springs to roll over in the middle of the night!!).

It has continued to rain off and on for most of the afternoon, and looks to do so into the night and all day tomorrow. The bike course, which we drove as it began to rain, is going to be a challenge – lots of ups and down and some relatively rough roads. There’s one downhill & turn that’s actually marked “dangerous intersection” because several folks have fallen there in prior years and even broken some bones. And we get to ride it in the rain. I plan to go very slowly down that particular hill.

The water wasn’t that bad when I dipped a hand in, so I suspect that’ll be better than expected. The run will be out and back on the same road we start the bike course, some hills, some rough road, some gorgeous glimpses of Newfound Lake off to the side, but it’s a run, and running in the rain isn’t all that bad, unlike cycling in it.

It promises to be a memorable, if not perhaps the most enjoyable, race experience tomorrow.

Since we now have internet access we checked the weather forecast for Saturday (the day of the race) on the 03222 zip code that contains the park. Thus far it’s reading:

6 a.m.: Rain.
9 a.m.: Rain.
12 p.m.: Rain…
& c.

If it goes off, which is never a given when it’s raining and one is supposed to swim, it’s going to be One Wet Race.

We got some internet access, so I’m posting what I’ve written thus far from the past two days.

5/30/06, Tuesday
It’s begun to rain. We’ve had a relatively quiet trip up thus far, but now, about a hour or so from the campground at which my parents and I will be staying the night it’s begun to drip a little. They’ve been predicting thunderstorms, and the camp did report some thunder when we called them a little bit ago, but this is part and parcel of what they’ve been getting up here all Spring, part of what almost lead the race director to cancel the race when he discovered the transition area under a couple feet of water just a few weeks ago.

It’s interesting traveling in an RV, you can get up and wander around, unlike a bus or car, so legs can be stretched and hungers sated. Both parents have driven at different times (I’m not about to attempt it, even if asked), and for the most part we go along at a pace that rarely brings us up against someone else’s rear end – most of the time we’re the ones being passed, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s not like we’re in any hurry to get up there now, with plenty of time to arrive before Friday.

There are also small quirks of their RV, like the one drawer whose latch doesn’t quite work, so you have to kick it back in every now and again, and the water pumps I wasn’t warned to turn back on when I needed to wash my hands (“Mom, are we out of water?”). The couch which will become my bed is pretty comfortable to sprawl out upon (there’s a full or queen sized bed at the back for them), and I’ve been fairly comfortable on it. When not staring out at the mountains, streams and livestock, I’ve read, chatted with my parents, and spent some time paying down my third mortgage on Animal Crossing (yay for new fruits from the other animals – they help pay those bills much faster).

Had one little diversion when a bad sign lead us down a wrong driveway. I got to drive the Psion around as they backed the RV out and went down the right driveway. While Dad fueled up and Mom worked to reconnect the Psion to the back I took the time to inform her that if the curious 33 year old had looked in the cabinet right across from the toilet while sitting, the curious 9 year old (my niece) was sure to do so this summer and that it would behoove her to move the box for her vibrator to a more secure area. The look on her face would only have been more amusing if she’d been drinking something when I said it. At least I know I get my sexual nature honestly.

…

5/31/06, Wednesday

One of the more difficult aspects of this trip has been realizing how my parents have aged. You see some of it at home, but it’s brought to the front much more starkly when discussing plans for the day that include a lot of driving and/or walking around. Parking in handicapped spots (for Mom’s foot problems – they have the plates), trying to get as close to places as possible, taking a nice break mid-afternoon, in bed by 8:30 or 9, these little things add up to a picture of my parents that I hadn’t quite arrived at yet. I’m glad I’ve gotten the chance to spend this time with them, and I look forward to more time with them, but I’m not sure when we’d ever get the chance to travel together like this again.

Lots of thunderstorms this afternoon here in Cooperstown. After visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame (and Museum), which was quite cool, even for someone who doesn’t follow the game regularly, we wandered a little bit along the two blocks that comprise downtown Cooperstown, then drove up around Lake Osteaga for a bit, then back to the camp to rest. I think we were expecting Cooperstown to be a tad bigger than it was, but all in all I think it was perfect. The downtown strip was fun, you didn’t feel rushed getting through things, and you could get to everything you wanted to see in a day (or more, if you wished). But man, the thunderstorms were something else.

Thankfully they waited until after we were ensconced in the motor home, but at least three waves came through, one of which temporarily knocked out the electricity from the campground (right in the middle of fixing dinner, of course). Lightning galore, lots of thunder, and rain pounding down on the roof. When it let up the first time, Mom zipped out for a few supplies from the under-carriage storage, and back in just in time for the second wave. It did cool things down considerably, so we were able to cut off the a/c, but with the threat of more storms we’ve got the place sealed up tight, so I’m not sure how useful that cooling will be as we attempt to sleep.

Nice weekend, spent it with the parents, in anticipation of the week we’re spending together starting tomorrow. We played tourist, visiting various Smithsonian museums and watched ‘Rolling Thunder,’ the motorcycle parade in memory of the fallen, zip down Consitution Avenue when travelling between museums. Was quite fun, but quite draining. One forgets how much energy it can take to deal with holiday crowds and large museums, as well as lots of walking/standing that doesn’t occur in everyday life.

The race is in five days. Five days in which I’ll have little to no access to the ‘net in order to post. Will update as soon as I’m able, and I’m sure I’ll be writing while out.

Hadn’t swam in a while, but did so at the pool here at the cult co-op this afternoon/evening. At first I was feeling a tad out of breath, which led to some bit of panic over my chances in the race. Thankfully after a bit I calmed down, and I came to that zen-like calm that can come over one while swimming. The swim’s not going to be the easiest, but I suspect I’ll get through it okay. The wetsuit will help, the extra buouancy means less effort spent staying up and more spent going forward. Of course, the water temperature will be a factor as well, but I suspect I’ll be relativelty well insulated with the suit, cap and socks. Only time will tell.

I’m doing a quick spot of laundry this evening, and have my stuff laid out for the race all over my bed. I’ll pack most of it tonight, and get up early tomorrow to finish it up and await my parents’ arrival for our impending trip. Looking forward to the time off, it’s most needed.

Yup, still crazy.

Still can’t quite believe I signed up for the marathon. Should be a nice experience, and I’m looking forward to doing it, but wasn’t quite sure I was up to it. I think I am, now.

Work has been absolute hell this week. Can’t and won’t go into details, but it’s been stressful enough to trigger a cold sore and set off my eczema. Grrr. I’m so glad I’m going to be out of there for the next week and a half.

Working through final prep for the race. Picked up a bunch of Shot Bloks, and a new pair of club-branded bike socks from the local bike shop. List is made, trying to make sure I have everything planned out and ready.

In the meantime, one more day at work, then off for the duration. Debating whether I should leave my phone off just so I’m truly unreachable while on the road. The joy of being the specialist is that you’ve a lot of job security. The pain is that they have to call you, no matter what.

I made my last big purchase, post-move, today. Finally went and bought a wetsuit.

Was intending to buy a different one, a two piece system, but when the company’s out of them, and there’s no time to order and wait, you get what you can. As it is, I’m happy with the purchase I made, it fit well, was comfortable, and should last quite a while. I look forward to using it.

Nice weekend thus far. Club event this morning, bbq afterwards. Came home, changed up, ran this afternoon. Wasn’t my best run, but no calf pain, thankfully. Afterwards I ran out to get the wetsuit. Tried on several, this was the most comfortable by a hair, but the easiest to get out of overall, which ultimately was the deciding factor.

It’s a gorgeous day in DC, was perfect for running, and for the first brick workout for our new triathletes. Was good to have such nice weather for this important workout for them, but then again, this spring has been absolutely lovely for pretty much everything exercise wise. They’re been very lucky this year.

But with this purchse, my major purchases are now done. Table, chairs, the apartment itself, and now the wetsuit. There are some things I’d still like to get, but no necessities, those are done. Which is just fine with me.

Finally got a chance to taste/use the little Cliff Shot Bloks I’d picked up at the Cherry Blossom expo, and I’m hooked. It was so much easier on the bike to fish one of those puppies out and have something to actually chew on, rather than having to tear open a container of goo one handed and then worry about where to put the little container when you’re done. Definitely going to be the calories of choice for the bike portion of my upcoming race (since I don’t seem to do well with sports drinks when exercising). Used them on a nice 2o-ish mile ride this morning.

Then this afternoon I swam, did 3 500 yard repeats after a long warm up. It went well, so I’m feeling okay about the swim portion of the race. The bike will be tough, but definitely doable, and the run, if this calf doesn’t get better this week, will be torture itself, but overall I think I’ll survive it.

Managed to get up to Dupont for lunch with a friend, and back down to the Y for the swim and then home again before the rain really hit. It’s going nicely now, a good, steady, relatively light rain. Enough to keep the kids indoors, not so nasty that I have to close the balcony doors. Is a nice, quiet counterpoint to my tapping on the keyboard. Should take the nice, quiet time to do some more cleaning, but I’m feeling cleaned out after yesterday’s straightening and getting the chairs unpacked and set up.