Day two - part three

I venture out again.  The main itinerary of the day...  Fat Tire Bike Tour...  I signed up for the Royal Gardens Tour.  Me and about 12 others.

We started at the same place - Kensington Gardens - and made our way through Hyde Park past Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, House of Parliament,  Big Ben, a statue of Abe Lincoln (I probably should go back and get a picture), Westminster Abbey, St. James Park.  Oh I am sure I missed something.

It was a great way to spend 3+ hours.  I highly recommend it.   The tiue guide - Max - was very knowledgeable.  The people all very friendly.  There was a family with small boys from Myers Park.  A family of 3 from Minnesota.  A couple from Orlando.  Two guys from Texas studying international accounting in Paris for the Summer. A high school math teacher from Chicago.  And I know I have missed some others.  Only my tour guide knew who Robbie Williams was.  Lol

And now I am at dinner at a pub down the street from my hotel.  Steak and ale pie and a Guinness.  Ok I know that is not British beer but all the rest was overwhelming.

Now to head back to the hotel to upload all this.

Day two - part two

I am in prime location to Hyde Park.  I walked out the front door.  Got a "white coffee" (miso or au lait for the rest of you) and headed across the street to Kensington Gardens. 

The weather was spotty but the walk was nice.  I saw Royal Albert Hall - there was a graduation going on there.  I saw the Princess Di fountain - nice and understated.  There we're people swimming in Serpentine.  And the walk continued.  I suspect I will become quite familair with Hyde Park during my stay.  There are 2 restaurants there I want to check out.

And back to the hotel I went.

Day two

Wow..  I just wrote so much and the phone replaced it all.

Day two started at 2AM or even earlier.  That is when our flight appraoched London and they threw on the lights and served breakfast.

Through the clouds I saw a brief glimpse of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium.  Looked just like that Take That Olympics foorltage without the fireworks.

And then again through the clouds I saw The Gherkin, The Strand, The London Eye and Tower Bridge.  I felt like Wendy.  If you are unfamiliar with the alliteration go to Disney.  Peter Pans Flight.  It felt judt as magical.

The airport is huge!  It felt like gate E30 in Charlotte.  The toilet was nice.  The immigration girl not so much.  Wow, she read all the stamps in my passport.  Baggage claim awkward.  ATM OK once I found one that worked.  Yes, there was a moment of fear with that. And they have the Heathrow Express process down pat.

The train ride... in my mind was a train ride.  I came out into Paddington Station and felt what I always feel in train stations...  where the heck am I and where do I go from here.  Give me strength to master that over the next few days.

I walked from there with my luggage to the hotel.  Checked in.  Took a nap.  Errr - my non diamond HH status negates my free internet access. Errr.  It will probably do well to clear my head.

And I took a teo hour nap in my little twin bed in my smaller than a dorm room room.  It is quaint.

Day one

Well that was spent around the house.  Then I was at the airport.
Oh the people watching at the airport.  One word..  Bojangles.  Wow!  I opted for the grilled chicken salad.  Not as reasonable as the Waxhaw or South Park version.  But OK for airport food.
The airport itself was crazy crowded.  The queue for my flught was rude and insane.  And I am damned tired of people and their luggage carry ons.  They take up more space than necessary.
On my flight I sat next to an elderly woman.  She could have been my mom.  Sorry Mommy no disrespect on the elderly comment.  She was retu red amd traveling by herself.  She was dropping off her suitcase at a hotel and then boarding a train with her backpack to Scotland for 2 weeks.
She was traveling far more free spirited than any trip I would plan.  Probably because I actually plan.  She was just winging it.  I was impressed even if that would never be my approach.
By the time I left the airport I felt like I should hang about some and help her out.  She was having difficulty with seeing the forms and finding her luggage. I helped her with the ATM but we parted ways there.
I slept OK on the plane.  USAir made a big deal about the meal and complimentary glass of wine and coffee. I JUST wANTED to SLEEP!  I eventually slept.
And so was day one.

Happy Fathers Day

I have stuff going on in mybhead that I feel like writing about.  Just not sure what the overall topic would be.  I guess for me this day leads to reflection on numerous levels.  And the things I am uncovering in that reflection are startling, awkward, unsettling, disappointing.  Not sure how to put my finger on it.  I guess the easiest way to o ut it...  as I continue down this path of trying to be healthy I feel like I have less and less in common with others.  I suspect that is not entirely the case but that is how I feel right now.  And that is what has been on my mind this week, this weeekend, today. 
What does it have to do with Fathers day?  Probably nothing more than timing.

Gotta Look Sharp

Like the Joe Jackson song.
I am on a mission... Weight loss over races. I have found the races stress me out more than one would think. The mental chatter undermines me. So...

I have found a bunch of before after pics. Will have to work up the nerve to post some others....

Training

I dreamt last night that someONE flew me out to train for a day. It ended up turning to sailing. Not quite the swim, bike, run as planned.

The nicest thing about the dream - it was peaceful. A calm happy place. Of course at the end of the dream I struggled with my flight home. That is probably more in line with my mental map at the moment.

We have a sales meeting today. I am good for the meeting. The prep and unforeseen server reboot melt down out a crimp in my style yesterday. Trying to not let that negativity consume me. Wow, I sure can still have a bitter sarcastic and mean spirited tongue. I may take after my dad in most ways but when it comes to expecting a lot from people and letting them know it.... That could be more my mom.

And then there is some rash all over my legs and arms. Oh HELLO summer! And the first time in the sun in months... I do believe it is an allergic reaction to the sunscreen that I picked up from a friend.

And then there's the ol skin virus. I think that is back. You know I also excited for that. Again I have been riding my bike a lot so it could be something else. The bottom .ine is your. Odd is supposed to beagle to fight it in the long run. I am going with that for now.

As for training... The swim, bike,run,hip hop abs combo is working well. No races in the future. They have sadly been under,inning my focus. I have been getting too consumed in the event that I get in my own way of the training. So for now it is just training.

Well gotta go get that suit on - grey skirt suit that is.

Before

Finding interesting shots on my phone sd card.  It looks like runng took precedence to cleanong on this day... on most days..

Pretty distracted on blogging

Miss the concept of pencil or pen and paper.
Run
Bike
Swim
Tomorrow

60 days of Robbie

So lets discuss the topic change.. Yes it is straying from the normal concept of the blog... Working out... Trying to Tri... But I realised something in the past few weeks I have a lot more interests than trying to Tri. I have not become fanatical about the racing and the training. The icing on the cake for this concept was Sundays decision to not race in the inclement weather. There are a whole lot of other women out there that showed up. They raced. But not me. And I am OK with that. Because I have lots of other interests that also occupy my days and my training.

And that's where the Robbie piece comes in. And probably over the next 60 days it will seem like a Robbie obsession. And I am OK with that.

It is my motivation over the next 8 weeks.

And then to top it off - concert at Wembley Stadium!!! And I hope to be TEN pounds lighter.

Fridge full

So yesterday I was to race in my triathlon. It was cold and raining.  Really cold.  I know I spent $$ to compete but did not want to get out there in this weather and find myself ill, under the weather or under a golf tournament bus.  Might sound silly or wimpy but that's that.  

I did,a age to go to mass instead and then fill up the fridge for a change.  I know for some this may not full but for me it is a good job.  

This mornings meal ended up as bananas strawberries and cottage cheese.  Lunch was a taco chili type salad.  And with avocado and plain yogurt in the mix there was no need for highly processed salad dressing.  Lastly dinner included grilled cod, stewed tomatoes and a broccoli spinach risotto made from millet.  All very yum!

Looking forward to the time home and getting back on track.

Race day

Everything is laid out around the house in preparation for race day.  First layer upstairs. Second layers and bib down stairs.
Sadly it is 50F outside and windy.  And the rain is about to start at some point between now and my estimated bike ride.  Agreement with myself... this is a hobby; you do not need to put yourself in harms way by riding your bike in the rain.
Si all items will continue to be splayed out like this until I get home from church.  Then I will follow the routine I have followed for some time now... trainer and swim and maybe a run.
Oh and the other reason for my hesitation - that would be this weeks weird health reaction - got very ill at church the other night.  No seriously, they wheeled me out, called 911, had the EMTs check me out, read me some death disclaimer when I declined going to.the hospital.
Blaming it on dehydration from the golf tournament.  Maybe an odd blood sugar scenario as well.

last few days

well race day is Sunday... and i am not all that concerned about it - mental denial probably
or just the fact that i know i can physically complete the distances - it is a short race
and the fact that i dont have the time to do any more
so that will be that...

looking into what to do next..
i just dont feel like signing up for another race at this time..
i am still loving swim bike run but the motivation to compete is just not there - maybe that will change on sunday

i am seriously considering adding a beachbody workout into my mix instead..
something to switch things up for my mind and body

will think on that some more this weekend..

i dont want to change

i have a co-worker that grew up in a family of boys with a dad that coached (seiously coached) as a profession...  i dont feel intimidated by her but i know she was one of those girls in gym class that excelled and got it...  you know the team competition vying for the ball thing... i was and still am the gymnastics girl... smooth lines, graces, strength...
so when she said yesterday - i dont think i could do a triathlon.  i dont know how i feel about that having to change bit - it brought a smile to my face
so many people really think that you change clothes in the midst of a triathlon
i never thought about it before - i dont know what my original concept was - maybe i thought people changed too but i dont recall...
that whole concept of getting wet and staying wet while cycling and even running does not bode well with others...
speaking of wet - have to get back in the water tonight
i had a mental detour last night...  hated that i did but it worked out OK for me in the end
it was nice to sit in front of the tele with a cup of tea and do some work on the home computer.. felt oddly relaxing and productive all at the same time...
as for the tea thing - i had gotten into a habit of wine every so often in the evenings while on the couch...  and i must admit the habit and history kind of started screaming in my face...  decided i needed to regroup on that after work stress habit - dont want the wrong ones grabbing hold and becoming more -- nothing should be that stressful to derail me that much

OK speaking of stress -- off to the car dealer for an unexpected car service

weather dilmena

it may be raining on sunday race day...  personally i have this stance of not riding my bike on the road in the rain... there is no need to put yourself out there in bad weather...
feeling kind of wimpy with that stance...
but i am a triathlon hobbyest or some other term i have yet to create..
well will just focus on the training and let's hope the weather plays fair.

Another small workout day

I covered 30 minutes on the bike with jumping jack intervals. It is a crazy way to get the heart rate up.
I then trekked over to the lake house and did 800 yards in the pool.
Today still trying to pace my swim time for Sunday so I know my starting position.
I vacuumed. I finished making that soup. Made some bread to go along with it.
Watched some tele with the dog.
Googled random Robbie Williams videos.
And now am listening to the teaming down rain outside procrastinating on turning out the lights to go to sleep.

I need to do it all over again tomorrow somehow.
Ideally it would be a run bike in the morning and a swim at night.
We will see if that happens.

Bike. Swim

This years weather is so different than the previous years.  I have yet to get out on the road to ride.  Glad i have the trainer.  But really would like to get out there.  Covered 50 minutes today.  That should be close to 10 miles.
I also swam 800 yards.  I needed to vet in the water to time my pace.  It is about the same as always 2:10 to 2:20...  that shohld be OK for nwxt weeks race.
No running.  The stomach and I are still at odds.
I napped a good part of the afternoon.  Then made some homemade ginger carrot soup with a hint if orange.  (My neighbor gave me a produce care package yesterday - odd but useful)
Gonna do my best to get to mass in the morning and then off to train some more and make some headway around here.
Shoot it really does look like I have been on the road fir 3 weeks.

in the world of firsts...

i woke up yesterday in a miserable state... going to blame it on the scallops and shrimp i had for dinner the night before..  it could just be week three of travel taking its toll...
i suck down some breakfast at the hotel - scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, muffin, coffee, oj... 
still feeling a bit out of it as i head to the airport - a really nasty feeling i must say
get through all that is the airport and grab myself a mango smoothie - the concept sounds appealing at the time - mango, peaches, ginger, vanilla yogurt...  it tasted wonderful
as usual, i hit the seat on the plane and go to sleep for a few minutes - gonna guess 30 or so...
i feel better after the nap
and then out of all things - the flight pattern starts to take a toll on me...  this is not something that normally gets to me...  sure, i am not a fan of being below deck on boats and the occassional car ride can get to me but never on an airplane
the mountains below, the horizon in the distance, the hard left turn as if we have to go east now that we have spent so much time going south...  but i am ok
and then there is the approach - and at this time i just want to be on the ground... and from the looks of things we are circling some - oh there is carowinds below us - not far now..
and then we get it - additional turbulence --- and i am done
i forewarn the poor woman sitting next to me that i dont feel well... she says the turbulence is getting to her too - not sure if i needed to hear that
but whatever the case - that smoothie did not want to stay down
thank goodness it was just a smoothie...
i have never had anything like that happen to me before - i sure hope it is not a new found motion sickness - that would SUCK!
i think my stomach was just sour... as it is still pretty iffy at the moment
i ended up coming straight home instead of going to the office...  i worked on getting some food into my system and then i did some work
watched some Vampire Diaries and off to bed I went
today is the last weekend before the race - i am now trying to motivate to get some activity in.. not sure a run is going to go anywhere...
swimming at 930

Oh hello

Been so busy working training has been minimal.  Time to comment on training even worse.

Havent been swimming much.  Next week will be all about the swim to get my head in the game.  Depending on water temps the outdoor swim may be moved indoors.

The bike is still on the trainer.  I had one day od outdoor cycling and the temps dropped again.  It does allow for me to ride more frequently but miss the open road.

Oh on that note the neighbors girlfriend was trying out a new bike yesterday.  I must admit I was jealous.  Of the bike that is.  The fact that he stood in the driveway drinking a beer watching her shocked me.  I am beginning to think he actuallu doesnt like cycling.

The running has been OK.  Did a run for Boston last night.  Way too much pollen in the air.  I am still dealing with a fur ball of phlegm.  Will do treadmill walking whilr away this week.

Quiet

Yes, I have been quiet for a while. There have been things going on that distract me. Gosh how much to talk about...
So remember the saddle sores? Well they just weren't going away. I eventually went to the doctor. Oh and they tested them for all things nasty in that region. Things I never thought about before - yes, here we go way too much information - genital warts (that would be that HPV virus they talk about and there is a vaccine for) do not get sucked in to the Internet at looking at these things... Symphysis? Really? I mean I know I was in the presence of Jonathan Rhys Myers costumes from The Tudors when in Dublin but... Herpes! Could this not just be from something due to working out too much? Why do we have to go here?!? And then you start beating yourself up. And sadly if any of these were the case there would be only one reason and that just made me even more distracted. Fuming mad maybe. Errr....
Ultimately they decided on a fungal infection. Goodness the need to eliminate the big stuff continues to drive me nearly insane. So some mix of cream prescription later... No improvement. Boo hoo...
Off to the dermatologist I go. And the diagnosis - molloscum. WHAT? WTH is that? A skin virus. Common in kids. Not as much with adults. It will eventually cure itself. But given the location let's rule out the big stuff! Really? Biopsy. Blood work. Ugh!
Well biopsy confirmed diagnosis. Blood work confirmed my immune system / natural defense mechanisms are all working OK. So off we go to the scraping procedure. Who knew this was a medical option.
This has all been way too much for my brain to handle and process and let go. Well I should add -- that the tests did not turn around all that quickly. Actually just talking about it because 3 weeks later I am finally getting the blood work results.. Stress! And the biopsy... Those results went - if it's not what we suspect we will let you know; if it is we will just proceed as planned... Today's healthcare does very little to alleviate any nerves.
So last week I went in for them to scrape the virus off/out of my skin. Supposedly it is so topical your body doesn't recognize it to fight it. Eventually it will go away but unlike blood born viruses your body won't fight it for some time. So they disturb the skin to remove it and prompt the body to fight it. lOvElY! Do you want to know more...
Well there is a topical numbing cream. This is to prepare for the numbing shots! WHoA! Did not expect that. The procedure itself was nothing in comparison. The doctor put on some music. First up Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody.. Which gave me an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite topics - KEANE! If you have never googled Tom Chaplin Queen covers go do it NOW! A wonderful use of time. My dermatologist had never heard of Keane... My work is done here!
Wednesday I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and vacuuming - yup the numbing was wonderful.
Thursday a prescribed rest day... Wow thought I was slowly going insane. I just couldn't sit around and do nothing. And the pain had kicked in. By lunch time I found my savior - Homeland Season One -- oh thank goodness... It was a wonderful distraction; laid in bed just watching episode after episode. Pretty much Friday was the same.
I did get out for a 2 mile walk and run. It felt good.
Saturday was close to normal.
And Sunday was nice. I got out of bed early, went to church, cooked for Easter... It all came together well.
Now just to concentrate on the rest of the recovery and hope they got it all.
tRIATHloN in a month!