things I love...not in any order

Chocolate GU......

Lemonade after a long, hot bike ride......

the beach....

again....

Hannah...

and again....

Nike tempo shorts.....

Balega running socks...

Birthday cake....

Sheryl..

my sweetie...

training and tri tips..

I managed to get out of the house this morning and get to the track for my Speed Session workout.  As I was sitting on the couch drinking coffee I did not think I had it in me to run (8) 400m @ R pace (1:58 for me) plus warmup and cool down...I just was not feeling it.  On top of that, NO BANANAS in the house and who knew the Kroger on Highway 100 was not open 24 hours (!)...so no hope of a banana before my workout.  I did it though... got to the track, did the warmup, nailed the workout (!!) and even did the entire 1 mile cool down..sometimes I cut that short.  This falls under heading of "Do the Workout as Prescribed."  Follow the plan..no shortcuts, settling or out-and-out lying.... 

I came across this on Elizabeth Fedofsky's blog.. "Often athletes say “I lack speed” or “I need more speedwork”.  Speed is not a limiting factor in triathlon. Triathlon is a sport of strength & speed endurance, not raw speed. Get stronger/more efficient & you will get faster.

and

......"3 sessions a week to maintain, 4 to make progress, 5 to reach 95% of your full potential. "

political cowardice and pandering...

I have two words for you (two names, actually)  Joe Barton, (R) Texas (the Republican Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and single largest recipient of oil/gas money in the House of Representative's) and Haley Barbour, the Republican Governor of Mississippi.  Aggghhh..there is no end to the idiocy and the irony...I think my head might explode.

And this from an editorial by Representative Ed Markey (D-MA), " For years, the oil industry swore this could never happen. We were told that technology had advanced, that offshore drilling was safe.

BP said they didn't think the rig would sink. It did.

They said they could handle an Exxon Valdez-sized spill every day. They couldn't.

BP said the spill was 1,000 barrels per day. It wasn't. And they knew it.

Now the other big oil companies, testifying in Congress today, contend that this was an isolated incident. They say a similar disaster could never happen to them.

And yet it is this kind of Blind Faith -- which is ironically the name of an actual rig in the Gulf -- that has led to this kind of disaster.

..day 58 in this ongoing disaster...it is outrageous to see elected officials (elected to represent their constituents, not their interests .....$$$$) apologize to the negligent foreign oil company responsible for this outrage. 

LOVE!!!!  Rachel Maddow...check out her Obama address do over.  She is sharp and articulate and has a grasp on the situation.

Just do the work...

I love reading other peoples blogs....mostly running and triathlon related but not always.  It helps me to recognize that other athlete's deal with training/performance anxiety, motivation ups/downs and the changing demands of life on a daily basis!  I have reaped the benefit of some great (and credible) advice, positive attitudes, wicked funny perspectives and gut level honesty from other athletes  out there who are "suiting up and showing up" every day.  The other day I came across Elizabeth Fedofsky' s blog..  I was not familiar with her but she had this awesome post last week on goals, individual success and attitude.  I've thought a lot about her post over the last few days and the point she makes about training consistency, doing the work and stepping up to, and accepting, the pain associated with reaching for our goals.

This post motivates me and makes me want to try harder, be more honest in my efforts and work on that mental toughness I struggle with.  Why did I ever think it would be easy?  I guess if it's not easy for the truly greats then it is no surprise that age groupers hurt, too.  I think these are the things that will make me more successful (per my definition) as the season unfolds...keeping perspective (#7),  master the basics (#8) and do the work (#3) as prescribed (#1)! 

The first Speed Session of the summer is tomorrow morning (4) 1000 @ I pace (5:14) w/400 recover; (4) 200 @ R pace (0:59) w/200 recover plus warm up and cool down.  I must get to sleep so I can be ready to hit it at 6AM!!

sweet dreams~

Contest for new BP logo ..

For a link to the contest sponsored by Logomyway.com click here

Mach Tenn..Very Cool!!

Yaay, me! This is my 3rd place (40-44AG) trophy from the Mach Tenn Sprint triathlon yesterday!! This race has a great reputation in the area and now I know why. The venue is beautiful, for starters, and the Mach Tenn running club does a flawless job in organization and execution. On top of that the food rocks.... black eyed peas and corncakes (vegetarian friendly)!!

I felt confident and calm going in and for most of the race. I think this is the first open water swim I have not been nervous about and the water was perfect.. 80* so no wetsuits allowed if you wanted to qualify for awards. The bike course had the rolling hills, as promised, but nothing horrible. I felt good and strong the whole time and was able to adhere to my estimated 3- 3.25 minute/mile average. And then, the run... it was hot and when they say "rolling" they mean ROLLING! Out and back.... 4 miles...that's not even a weekday run but sometimes (oftentimes) I really struggle running off the bike. After the first few minutes my legs seemed to loosen up but I never did get into a good rhythm...I walked through the water stops and at the top of the last big hill where Judith caught up to me. She and I ran it in together and even though I did not hit my time goal (1:50 or less) I did get the third place spot in my AG!! I am excited about that and I know I am getting stronger...

I am working with coach Caroline Butler this year and I am excited about the work she will get out of me. I am training for my first half at Augusta in September and I have some Olympic distance races planned between now and then. I hope to get stronger and more confident on the bike and put together a more consistent bike-run transition. I know I am a good runner and I have a good base...I just need help with the negative mind stuff that gets in my way.

still pissed..

Great article from Frank Rich at the New York Times about President Obama and his response to BP, Wall Street and "his abiding faith in the judgment of experts," as Joshua Green of the Atlantic has put it. I voted for President Obama in 2008 and was thrilled to have the opportunity to do so....I believe our nation needed "Change" and I'm glad we got it. I believe our President is honest, thoughtful and well-intentioned...in my opinion, more than can be said for his predecessor. But it is time to stand by his own convictions (and those of the majority that elected him) and quit trying to negotiate with those who have no interest in compromise and governing...it is time to hold reckless corporations accountable for their actions and arrogance...it is time to get tough and take action.

I also enjoyed this editorial by Chris Durang. I think there is a lot of irony in society today; I do not know whether it exists in other countries but I have to assume it does because humans live there, too. To wit, people decrying big government until they need its help...Tony Hayward (BP CEO) complaining about what wanting his life back...

and again...

Random thoughts....

I am pissed, morally outraged, at BP and the Deepwater Horizon situation continuing to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico. Where the hell is accountability and why the hell is BP unable to shutdown a broken drill pipe leaking thousands of barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico?? What can we (citizens, voters, living beings) do??!! People and their livelihood's have been decimated; the environment, and every living thing that depends on the water, is being wiped out. How can governments, politicians, corporations and citizens not be mad as hell? How can people be unable to comprehend the significance of this disaster and it's long lasting consequences? How can we sit passively by? Sometimes (many times) I don't understand people....

Robert Siegel's interview with Nicholas Carr caught my attention this afternoon. Carr has written a book in which he suggests that the internet has directly influenced the human ability to concentrate.....it has created a "chronic state of distraction" that follows us long after we walk away from the screen. As we have become more adept at multitasking our ability to think critically and creatively has been adversely affected. The internet has provided the medium through which our desire for information and entertainment can be fed immediately. I can identify with some of his findings, specifically, a seeming inability to concentrate for extended periods of time. I just thought I was out of practice...hhmmm

Finally!! A neighborhood restaurant in Bellevue that is not a chain and offers fresh food with a good menu and reasonable prices. Brad and I had dinner at Bria tonight and we both had a great meal....lets hope Bellevue will do it's part and support these guys.