Atlantean Chains

I dreamed about racing last night. One of those disjointed race dreams where things start off well for the most part but then you realize you're wearing a life jacket in the swim and not only is it slowing down your perfect stroke but it's illegal...so you take it off and the guy swimming next to you puts it on and then HE'S CHEATING but you keep swimming because now he'll be slower and when you get to your bike, you have to get all your bike stuff on only your bike stuff has turned into gear for a Mt. Everest expedition so as you're adjusting your ski goggles you realize that your mountaineering boots have no cleats on them so won't fit your pedals. Anyone care to analyze this?

I'm realizing that the city is holding back my triathlon mojo. There are just too many excuses I can make...from traffic, to training partners, to heat, to thunder and lightning, to school work... and my visit home to New England reminded me how nice it is to just jump on my bike and go, no driving, lots of options for bike routes, lots of lakes and rivers and oceans to jump into afterward. I know the city is not an excuse. My old swim coach used to live in Manhattan and would carry her bike and bike trainer down 5 flights of stairs and set her trainer up between two parked cars with the front tire on the curb and ride EVERY DAY. There really is no GOOD excuse. But I've noticed that any excuse I can find seems to be good enough. I'm out of the tri habit.

MUST.CHANGE.THAT.

How do YOU talk yourself out of making excuses??

To Keep the Triathlete Moniker

I read somewhere, I think it was in Going Long, that in order to call yourself a triathlete, you have to either race at least once every season or finish an Ironman. Well, Ironman plans still have not been ruled out, but for this summer, I need to get myself on the calendar. I know I said I was taking a break... but as I've been on vacation from school this past two weeks, I've had a re-awakening and I need to find Triathlete Girl again. I think her presence will swing a handful of things back into balance that have been missing since my relocation to the unofficial capitol of the South.

SO, it really is awfully hot in Atlanta and I'm certainly not complaining... I've been catching up on blogs and reading through what Trimama and Tac Boy survived this spring, I'm sure as hell not thinking about moving north again any time soon. That said, I think late September might offer a bit of cooler weather so I'm looking at a sprint on September 20th at Lake Lanier. Of course, there's a good chance there won't be a Lake Lanier by the end of the summer... but here's hoping. It's the Tri2 Remember Triathlon to act against Altzheimer's Disease, a disease I lost my grandmother to a year and a half ago. Cool. Good distance, doable within three months, nearby... should be ok. I just have to figure out how to pay the entry fee on my paltry grad student budget.

And how to get back on my bike.

And out on a run.

And to the pool.

Hmmmm. Looks like there will be some serious time budgeting going on. Come on along for the ride... ;)

Still Exchanging Air

Well, it's been quite some time since I've left ya'll any news. Since then I've acquired quite a penchant for the word ya'll and I'm suddenly bundling up when the temperature drops below 80˚F. Which is never. Could you midwesterners please share some of that water with us?

So the tri thing seems to be on the back burner for now. I'm not ruling out a sprint sometime in late September but this grad school thing is getting the better of me. I have no FREAKIN' idea how Benny was able to pull it off and still train and race at ironman (not to mention work a full time job too). Insane, I tell you. Hat's off to you Ben...

As for me, I'm lucky if I can get out for a walk. I know it's about priorities but no matter my plan, it seems the best I can hope for is to accept that I'm on a different part of my journey right now and need to focus on that. I did manage to ride my bike a totally flat 20 miles on Friday and my butt is not thanking me. I do miss it all so much. So here's hoping I'll be glad to get back to it when I can.

SO, many of you have asked what I've been up to and many of you have asked to see it all and now you can...if I can manage to post it all. Take a gander over at site #2 (which, by the way is a total pain in the a$$ thru blogger...as soon as I figure out how, I will likely migrate to another space...and perhaps use my real name so I can, oh, you know, maybe find a JOB. What a novel concept).

Anyway, I'll be over there more often so if you're interested, stop on by! And as always, emails and phone calls are wanted and welcomed!!

Check out the new stuff HERE.