Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Keepin' it PG

Sometimes I have a really hard time remembering that this is a running blog and not a diary of my private thoughts. At times I have to remind myself not to indulge stories of what I did during the week, how I feel about my dreamy boyfriend or what my mom told me about a friend when I talked to her on the phone. I mean, I know you're all incredibly interested about my life and what I'm doing, but seriously folks, I'm private, like a closed book, and this is a running/triathlon blog. C'mon, give me some emotional space here, I'm not into that whole "divulging my life online" crap.

Ok maybe I am, but I'm trying really hard not to. Let's stick with running.

This week I got up at 5:30 on Monday and Tuesday to go to the gym. I got a week pass at the gym at the Ritz Carlton, and it's pretty....Ritzy. Bwahaa. No, really, it's one of the fanciest gyms I've ever been in, and with good reason - membership costs $165/month, after a $700 initiation fee. WHOA! Hold up, people actually pay that much for a gym??? Apparently they do, cause it's been packed every time that I've gone. Even at 6am. It's a gym for hard core fitness freaks (cough not like me at all), but it's also kind of a pansy gym, to be perfectly honest. Stacks of towels are abundant, in their own little cubby holes throughout the gym. The locker rooms are just beyond belief and the showers are equipped with "spa" products (ok, shampoo, conditioner, body wash...and lotion and shaving cream...the showers are Gold's Gym have some kind of soap foam that you can get out of a dispenser on the wall. And they don't have real doors). Each cardio machine is equipped with its own television WITH CABLE. Some of the machines face out onto the street so you get lots of natural light, but since we're on the 3rd floor, privacy is maintained. There is a lap pool, as well as a pool for water aerobics.

Sure that's all great, but SERIOUSLY???? This is a gym we're talking about here. A GYM. That's where you go to sweat and put yourself in considerable pain and suffering to the benefit or detriment (depending on if you do it right) of your body. This is not a vacation spot. I mean, I guess you should want to go somewhere to work out...but it's just a little over the top in my opinion. I happen to really like my Gold's Gym, with no natural light on the main floor. It looks like it was built in an old warehouse, with pipes in the ceiling and cement walls. It's painted yellow (er gold) and black and white and grey - those are colors that make me want to smack my body around a lot. I'm not interested in being spoiled. The gym is a place to work, it's like an office. Ok, I'm not saying that it should be a painful, bland experience. I'm saying that it shouldn't have classical music playing in the background. If you want that, put it on your ipod and start your powerwalking, cause the kind of music they were playing at the Ritz certainly wasn't for running. Or any sort of physical exertion.

Am I bitter because I can't afford the Ritz? Maybe a little. It's a really nice gym, and I'm not knocking it completely. I think for a lot of people, that's the kind of gym they need. It's so nice and expensive that you want to be there. But I don't really need the "atmosphere" or the background stuff to get me to a gym. I really can't soften up too much before this triathlon. I'm not going to be swimming in a fancy lap pool for my 1.5k - I'll be flailing in the grimy Potomac. It's a nice facility, but you're paying a lot for extras that I think will ultimately just distract me. I'm burying the girlie girl in me and mustering up the crazy, hard core Sarah that lives way in the bottom of my heart and only gets out when I do things like marathon/triathlon training. It's a good thing I do this stuff...I wonder how she would manifest herself if I didn't.

******************Sarah's Unpaid Endorsements: RETURN!!!**************************

YES! They are BACK! And once more, the hideous subject of YOGA rears its ugly head! On Sunday, I convinced my boyfriend to get up in time for a free 10am yoga class with me at Lululemon. First of all, I'd like to point out that this is the most ridiculous name ever for a store. It's a yoga retail store, so it's a lot of work out clothes and yoga mats. I was really skeptical, but they had a guest "Yogi" (hahahahhaha not the bear) who came in and taught an hour long class. And although I might have smirked a little bit, especially during the ohmms, I really enjoyed the class. I felt like maybe I had stretched enough for my week. I think once a week is sufficient...

Lululemon: Logan Circle
http://www.lululemon.com/washington/logancircle

Free community yoga class at 10am on Sundays
Recommended: come at least 10 minutes early to get a spot. Don't bring a lot of stuff with you. Mats are provided.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Hope, Change, and the Military

Today is a historic day and an exciting day to live in Washington, DC. I'm not down with the crowds (yet) - I'm watching the inauguration on tv and then wandering down to buy some historic pins to give out to people as gifts...haha. Today is the inauguration of our 44th President, Barak Obama. Very exciting, and although I haven't walked around a lot, I did go downtown on Saturday. The streets are lined with people and with security.

I was very affected by the number of armed forces. By the IMF and World Bank, humvees lined the streets. I saw soldiers lining up. And I walked right by them. Calmly, without feeling threatened, I strolled by them. I looked them in the eye. I smiled at them. They smiled back. I saw them as they are - young men and women who are wearing a uniform that stands for the exact same things that our new President stands for for so many Americans - hope.

But I was very humbled by the sight of these soldiers. Yesterday I went running outside, and at Lincoln Park, about a mile away from the Capitol, and I saw soldiers marching by. I can't even imagine seeing that many soldiers on a daily basis. I can't imagine having those soldiers being from another country - imagine what it must feel like to be in an occupied country. How do you feel comfortable running past people with guns? How do you feel comfortable running by people who have the outer shield of a uniform, the cloth that can be so difficult to look past to see the face of a human being. I wasn't scared to run by them and I wouldn't have been scared to talk to them (maybe a little embarrassed since I was wearing spandex). What if I couldn't understand them? What if they didn't speak my language? And how happy must these soldiers be to be walking through DC and not in a war zone? They are surrounded by people who are excited and happy to be here, they are excited to see soldiers - I hope that everyone who passes a soldier gives them a smile, a handshake, something to show them that they are appreciated.

I am not political and I am trying not to judge President Obama yet. I really pray that there will be change and already I see that he has brought hope to our country. But for the homeless man I saw sleeping on a grate steps away from the White House, change is still something to wait for.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Leave the swimmer's ear at home...

Somehow, by swimming 3 times in the past 6 days, I have managed to get an ear infection. Swimmer’s ear or just a plain old, my ear hurts and I can’ t sleep ear infection. And I am absolutely pathetic. I called my mom at 7am and cried, I woke up throughout the night, went to Walgreen’s the morning and bought drops, called doctors because the drops did squat, and have now convinced Stacey, a true American hero, to take me to a clinic at a CVS near her house after work. Through this, I’ve realized something that may seem like a paradox to you.

I have an incredibly low threshold for pain.

How can that be, you may ask, when you’re training for a triathlon? Don’t I know that I will endure scrapes and bruises and aches and pains and stretched out limbs and twisted ankles and bike crashes? Well yes, I do know that, and this, for some odd reason, doesn’t faze me a bit. I can give blood without batting an eye and I’ll subject myself to hour-long cycling classes at the gym for fun. I’ll run through a cramp and even endure the agony of a yoga class. But when it comes to things like stomach aches (not brought on by strenuous activity), back pain (brought on by yoga, but lasting longer than the class), and apparently ear aches, I turn into a sniffling, whining, bring me juice and toast, immature child. I guess I can only handle pain that I control? Wow, that sounds sadomasochistic!

But really, isn’t there something to be said for that? Don’t you think we are able to handle more if we’re inflicting it on ourselves? I think there’s definitely a difference between good pain and bad pain. And maybe crashing my bike will be bad pain, but it will be inflicted through the attempt to improve my biking skills, therefore making it a somewhat “neutral” pain in my book.

I think another part of it is simply that I don’t get sick very often. I NEVER vomit (I can go years, even have gone a decade…c’mon I only have so many decades to call my own so far), my colds last about 3-4 days tops, and I don’t remember the last time that I was truly bedridden. The worst things that have happened to me in the past 5 years have been the common cold, exhaustion, and the one time that I cut my hand open and had to get stitches. BOY was I hysterical then!! In all fairness, I had chunks of glass in my hand and waited almost 12 hours before going to a doctor…but it really wasn’t that bad. Oh and there’s the time I slammed my finger in a car door and had to have the blood drained out of my fingernail. Fun. But I’ve never had to go to the emergency room (for me anyway) and I’ve never had a medical emergency. So my threshold for this kind of pain is pathetically low and I long for my mom to come take care of me. Or sleeping pills to knock me out. Either/or. Bring on the extreme muscular breakdown that a triathlon will bring…but leave the swimmer’s ear at home.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

I Ponder an Unrelated Story

As the days go by and I sit in my office, I find blogging to be especially entertaining. When I haven't had the chance to talk for a couple hours/minutes, I find the need to say something, even if it's a silent internet rant. And you come and read it, so don't you dare complain or make fun of me for my blogs. You're just as guilty as I am. Shouldn't you be working, not reading my unrelated story?

Unrelated, as in it doesn't have anything to do with running. Actually, maybe it should. Maybe I should be running at the end of this story. I shall call this story: Hugs from Harry.

I don't know if his name was Harry, or why he felt the need to approach me last night. The metro station was crowded, there were plenty of people, many of them who looked far more intelligent than me. Or at least more knowledgeable. But for whatever reason, this slightly scruffy (ok fairly scruffy), older, possibly drunk (gentle)man approached me and asked me if he went this direction if it would take him to the green line. I told him yes and took a slight step back since he was reeeeeally up in my face. Unfortunately, he noticed that I took a step back and quickly told me that he wasn't going to hurt me. I made the vaguely stupid decision to respond rather than run away, and told him that I was just being careful as a woman on the metro. Harry, as I have dubbed him, decided that he must comfort me, a woman on the metro, by giving me a hug. So he hugged me and I'm sure my eyes got very large, and he informed me that no one would ever hurt me, he would watch out for me and no one would ever hurt me, no, they wouldn't get through him. Naturally, my response to this was, "Oh, thank you." Which elicited more hugs from Harry. I have to admit that I didn't ride in the same car as him, and once he let go of me, I did wander down the platform with greater purpose than usual...but as we passed the station where he should have caught the green line, I couldn't help but look out the window and search for him, trying in vain to see if he had gotten off. I wonder if he made it to where he was going or if he fell asleep on the metro and is still riding around this morning. I wonder what I would have learned if I had just sat with him for 4 stops and chatted. I wonder how many people he approached before finally getting an answer to his original question. I wonder why Harry was alone and confused on the metro and I wonder if someone was waiting at home to take care of him. I wonder if Harry had a home to go to.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Felix is my hero

First of all, I'd like to point out that I've only been registered for my triathlon for exactly a week today and I've already bought a bathing suit, started swimming, and done extensive blogging about it. Last night I went back to the pool and did EVEN BETTER with the guidance of my swimmer roommate. I also was told of a public swimming pool that's FREE near my house, and I found the DC triathlon club, which led me to find a place where I can do free yoga on Sundays.

I'm patting myself on the back for signing up for this.

But I'm sure the question in all of your minds is...who is Felix? Why is he your hero? Can Felix be MY hero? Is Felix the hero of mankind? (the answer to that last question is probably yes)

How I know Felix is kind of a funny story - we met in Argentina.

Ok enough back story. Felix is now married to a wonderful woman and they are awaiting the birth of their first child, a little girl who will undoubtedly be as smart as Felix and as gorgeous as Jenn. Well, as many of you know, I sent out a mass email after signing up for my triathlon begging people for support and confirmation that, yes, I can do this (yes we can! ahhhhhhhhh). While I got many positive responses, my favorite by far was from Felix. He went through my whole blog and found any and all questions I've asked and then found answers for me. With his permission, I am reprinting some of the advice that he passed my way.

Good luck, let me know if I can help out. I've biked the early part of that trail and it's a nice ride. I used to bike alot...but now...I don't even have a bike anymore! When I get a bike again I'll make sure I hit you up for biking buddies. Jenn is an excellent swimmer but I think her extra buoyancy with the baby is cheating. :)

I read over your blog and it's very good and I made notes of most of your questions. Here's what I can put together.

iPods. What's wrong with them? I can probably fix it!

Over hydration. Caused when you either drink too much water (like in a contest) or when you are exercising and drinking water with no electrolytes. You'll have to drink over a gallon over the course of a few minutes. With your GU intake you should have no problems.

Stretching. Recently, studies have shown that stretching BEFORE your workout doesn't help much and over stretching can actually weaken your muscles and lead to injuries. However, it's a great idea to stretch after your workout. It's more important to warm up before your runs by a short walk. Stretching after a work out will speed recovery and increase strength.

Cross training. It's good because it can shake up your routine. If you don't get mentally bored of an exercise your muscles get used to the routine and lose training effectiveness. I'm sure you learning to swim and bike will be adequate cross training!

Lactose Intolerance. Have you tried skim milk?

Meat. For fun Jenn and I ate a 1lbs burger (Fuddrucker) for dinner. She beat me... I'll have to forward you the email.

Boston Marathon? Awesome! I had a co-worker complete it. She came back two days later and she could barely walk!

Eating after a work out. It's suggested that you eat proteins within an hour after a workout because your muscles will be able to get rebuilt faster and better. You're not eating because you're hungry but you should eat (the right foods) because your muscles are.

Yoga. Is a real good idea. I used to take martial arts (Wing Tzun) at a studio that shared it's space with a Yoga school. It'll really stretch out muscles that you've rarely used and will probably need, especially with your swim portion!

Swimming. You'll need alot of practice! I think the best advice I can give is picking up a good technique will help alot. For years I would swim really fast because that's all I knew how to. At my honeymoon Jenn taught me how much easier it was to swim with good form. It was actually more enjoyable and I had to exert alot less energy to go further!

Where to swim. That's the hard part. When I lived in Arlington it was hard to find a place to swim. The closest place was closer to Alexandria and needed a car. However, the BEST place to swim was in my old apartment (the one you visited for the Argentina gathering). It had a really nice and long lap pool with like 5 lanes. The problem is that you need to be a tenant.

Abs. Here's what I think works. Running more than crunches. Nutrition follows that. Doing planks gives me great ab results but I also think that you'll have to do strength/weight training to get those abs to 'pop'.



So okay that was MOST of the advice that Felix passed along to me...but honestly, what could I cut out??

Basically, I'm printing this in case anyone else could use this advice (who couldn't!!?!?) and also because I want to say thank you and acknowledge Felix's response. It means a lot to me to have everyone's support!! So Felix, yes you are my hero, and when can I bring my ipod by?

Monday, January 12, 2009

Age: 5

On Saturday, I went to the Fairmont Hotel and got a week pass so that I can use their swimming pool. It’s a gorgeous hotel, with a gorgeous health club and a great 50ft long pool. The locker rooms have towels in them (as many as you wish) and the walls in the pool area are painted with a lovely (albeit slightly creepy) mural of ancient Rome and/or Greece. I put on my goggles and got in the pool, relieved that the only other people in the area were some elderly men using the hot tub. They left shortly after I began my laps, which was good because it only took me about 3 times back and forth to realize that I needed to do something drastic.

So, I got up and grabbed a kick board. Yes, that’s the thing you used when you were 5 to make sure you didn’t drown while you learned to swim.

Embarrassing? No, not at the time. Embarrassing now that I’m admitting it in a blog? Uhh… I can see your eyes widening with disbelief as you fear for my safety and I can feel your hearts melting with pity and embarrassment for me, as I won’t admit my own.

Although I prayed most of the time that no one else would come in to witness my interesting form of “swimming,” I have to say that I actually enjoyed it. It was more relaxing than running (perhaps because Kanye West wasn’t blasting my ears) or maybe there is something really soothing about water. I mean, a 4ft deep swimming pool is immensely different than the bottomless pool of stench that is the Potomac, but perhaps I can learn to love water beyond its hydrating benefits. I didn’t have to get out and take 5 minute long breaks, in fact I didn’t take more than 1 or 2 minutes ever, and while I certainly wasn’t fast or consistent (and it might have been cheating to use a kickboard), I did manage to go for about 45 minutes.

Main questions:
1. What are your hands supposed to be doing when you’re doing free style? Sounds dumb, but are you supposed to kind of cup them? Leave them open? Spread your fingers?
2. Is your body supposed to form a straight line or does it matter that my legs kind of sink down into the water (hence the use of a kickboard)?

What I’ve found from running and doing any sport is that you first have to learn how to do it the right way. Once you’ve perfected how to do it, how to handle it, how to survive it, and how to do all that the right way, you can take whatever the “right” way is of doing it and make it your own. I’m not looking to win Olympic points for my grace or agility; I’m looking to finish. So whatever way I can learn to do it that works best for me, I will learn it and tweak it. It really works with anything, not just sports. First learn the proper and standardized way to do it and once you’ve perfected that, flip it over and do it the way it works for you.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

You like me, you really like me!

When I told people I was going to run a marathon last year, their response was pretty much: "wow! you're crazy!" But they knew I love to run and no one really questioned whether or not I could do it, it was pretty much just a question of why I was going to put myself through that.

But what I've found with announcing my news of a triathlon is not a mere shaking of the head but genuine concern: "you're going to do WHAT?! do you even know how to swim??" The "you're crazy!" line still makes its way out, only this time I think it's sincere. It's almost enough to deter me, but paying $165 to do this makes it worth my while not to be deterred (so THAT'S why they charge so much). And while I know that everyone wants me to remain alive in 2009 and the only reason why anyone would even bother to say anything is because they care about me, I have to say it's not easy to hear. I have to be pretty cocky to be doing this, because no, I haven't had formal swim training since 6th grade (and they weren't the best of lessons) and no, I don't know how to switch gears on a bike.

YET.

I am not going to lie and say that I could do a triathlon tomorrow. Or next week. Or next month. No, I probably couldn't. But that's why I'm doing it. I'm doing it because it's not something I could just jump up and do, it's not something I could do at any point in my life. This is a challenge and it's a big challenge and it's, I guess, semi-dangerous (although I really don't think there's real danger here). I'm aware of the facts, I'm aware that it's difficult to swim in open water, I'm aware that there will be hills on the bike course, I'm aware that I will be doing a lot of activity in the course of a morning.

So while I appreciate your concern and your affectionate proddings, I'm not backing out of this, I'm not going to quit, and, no offense, but if you want to be negative, then well...don't. Just don't. I don't need it. It's enough of a challenge without having to convince you that it's not.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Wha?

So apparently to swim 1.5k, approximately .932 miles, requires spending AT LEAST 45 minutes in the water?!?!!?!?!?!?!!?!?!!?!?!

THAT is why I run people, cause approximately .932 miles = less than a 10 minute workout.

Darn water.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Save the Date

September 13, 2009 – I will need your support!!!! (and possibly your first aid kit!!!)

GULP! Today I registered for the Nation’s Triathlon! That’s it, no turning back, they have a strict no refund policy, I’m in, I can’t back out, I’m going to swim, bike, and run myself into the ground. HOLY COW! This is far more intense than a marathon! But still no iron man…I was reading about that in the paper this morning. I believe it requires a 2.2 mile swim, some ridiculous amount of biking, and then you run a marathon. Pssshh…I’d never be crazy enough to do that.

Of course…I never thought I’d be crazy enough to do this…

I went online and bought a new SPEEDO (black, boring, for racing/training purposes, not sunbathing), a pink swim cap, and “smoke” colored goggles. I’m determined in my search to find me a swimming pool. I’ve decided to wait a little to get a bike, especially since that intimidates me even more than swimming. I’m pretty okay at this individual stuff, running, walking, hopefully swimming, chewing gum…but when you attach some sort of object to my body, be it a tennis racket, a golf club, a bike, a car…I’m likely to flail around quite madly and cause total chaos. There is a distinct possibility that I will crash several times once I finally get a bike, not to mention during the actual race….not to freak you guys out, just being realistic here.

Let’s all take a moment to mourn the loss of my sanity.

Monday, January 5, 2009

2009 Insanity

SO. Faithful readers. I must inform you that the title of this blog will remain MarathonMennone (Mennone rhymes with baloney), I will actually use 2009 to transform myself into TriathlonMennone. Yes, that’s right, I’ve decided that my 2009 challenge is to do the Nation’s Triathlon, which includes a 1.5k swim, a 40k bike ride, and a 10k run.

INSANITY!

Some major obstacles:
~my swimming skills consist of: doggie paddle fast, doggie paddle slow, and dead man’s float.
~I haven’t ridden a bike since my time abroad in Barcelona, where I flew over the handlebars while trying to go up a hill
~I don’t own a bike
~I don’t own a swimsuit…or goggles…or a swimming cap…
~there is nowhere to swim in this gosh darn city

A membership at the Y costs $73 a month…that’s even more than my fantastic Gold’s Gym membership! There is no way I can justify spending $73 for maybe 10 hours of swimming a month (and that’s ambitious). I’m only slightly concerned about the biking part, I mean they say you never forget. And you wear a helmet….and I take spinning classes at the gym….

This is bonkers! Who the heck does a triathlon? Only fools and crazies! BUT you get to wear really cool gear…and the GU intake will increase dramatically. And I will be in what Runner’s World promises to be “ the best shape of my life.” The problem is that there are seemingly few resources to tell someone how you actually train for a triathlon. Runner’s World has a measly 4 articles regarding the subject (I mean, they’re only in charge of 1/3 of it anyway). So once again, I’m kind of self training, which may or may not be the best idea. But I am getting help with the whole swimming situation, with the help of Coach Kelly Roommate! And I’m currently in the process of enlisting unsuspecting victims to accompany me on bike rides (preferably those with medical/CPR/wound training)…any takers?

On the plus side, I went out and ran 10 miles yesterday and it felt GREAT!
Also on the plus side….I’M DOING A TRIATHLON!!

(now that I’ve blogged it, I guess I better register)