Born Again Athlete:

Happy Anniversary!

Of sorts. I had forgotten about this, until Natalie reminded me the other night. It's been 1 year since my bike accident! It was the week right after Cap Tex. I have a little scar on my right ankle, but otherwise, I'm great. I guess I got back on that horse (a horse called Guru).

Product review

 I tried this today. Smelled nice, easy to put on. Not sure if it'll make race numbers rub off. I don't know if it worked so hot as a sunscreen. Despite being 70 SPF and despite a very short 12 mile bike ride, I still managed to tan through it. I never burn, but tan very easily and try to limit how much I do, since I spend so much time outside. I really liked the scent though.

So far, the best one has been  Xterra. I still tan through it, but works through 1/2 Iron distances. The smell is also somewhat nostalgic for me, since I've worn it for so many races.
I read that Bullfrog suncreens are good too, so I might try that.
Another problem with suncreen is that tends to make body marking rub off, which is why my numbers are always so smudgy.

As for the face, I use Shiseido suncreen SPF 55, which is not a sports suncreen, but everything else (including the Xterra) makes my face break out. I guess I should reapply this more often.
I tried the Neutrogena Sport for Face,and will let you know in a few days if it made me breakout. Any other suggestions?

Suncreen people! I'm not even high risk, yet I'm obsessed with this. You blondes, redheads, light-eyed people - slather up! Too many cases of skin cancer emerging. Also, you get wrinkles a lot faster!

Friday random stuff

1. "Unhinge": I really like this word.

2. I made Beef burgundy this week. This is about the 3rd time I've made it. I just don't get it. It's supposed to be sublime, manifique, etc, but I find it, just.....eh. Can't get excited about thyme and red wine, I guess.

3. I like triathlons again.

4. I saw a patient today who is a hardcore marathoner. We veered off topic and started talking about race nutrition (gatorade vs. powerade). It was kinda sorta relevant in an indirect way. I see a few people who do triathlons, v. cool.

5. I am feeling quite happy these days.

Good weekend in New Orleans

 

Crawfish
Hanging out
42 mile bike ride on the levee. Don't know how people take decent pics while riding.
Tried to take picture of this bird. Uh, do you see it? There were white herons. I then realized that I never read the short story "The White Heron" by Sarah Horne Jewett.
Fried chicken livers with pepper jelly at Praline Connection.

A short (3.6 mile) run in Audubon Park. FYI: the loop in Audubon is 1.8 miles, in case you are training there.

I just spent $230 on shoes!

Bike shoes, that is. heh. Have I ever spent that much on a real pair of shoes? I have an interesting story about some $500 Prada shoes - ask me later.

I was first in some Specialized shoes, size 36. They fit, but after I started increasing my mileage, they were really tight in the forefoot. I have "duck-like" feet - wide in the front with a narrow heel. I have been in some Louis Garneaus for the past year, which have been okay, although they feel "big" - my heels slip out of them sometimes, so I've been feeling that I'm not transferring all my power efficiently.

You know I'm back when I'm spending money at Jack and Adam's again. They are the nicest folks there. They always remember me, I got the best bike fit from Zane (I think everyone in Austin knows that Zane's the best bike fitter), found the perfect saddle. Yesterday, they even fixed my Mavic for free (it was on kilometers as well as set for 700 wheels).

(My bike makes everyone flip out. One mechanic just had to get out a tape measure and measure the top bar. Is it that small? sweet? weird-looking?  He said the frame was like a 20-inch bike, which is like?? a kid's bike, one of those little bmx bikes??)

I tried on only 2 pairs. There are not a whole lot of choices for women. I didn't think I cared if I wanted tri shoes or road shoes, but I learned something - road shoes have tongues, while tri shoes do not. Haven't been in road shoes for a long time, so the tongue really did bother me [insert snicker here].  I think he mentioned the cost of these, but hell, it's just money, and what else am I going to spend my money on? purses? jewelry? GM stock?

They are very light and my heels don't slip out. Not too keen on the color, but whatever.

Shimano WT51

I'll give these a whirl and let you know.

You know what I did today after spin class?

I practiced walking around in heels.
Uhm, yeah.

Silverlake Tri

My comeback tri after a winter of sloth.

 I wore my T3 jersey.

First race of the year. Not too fast, but pretty good considering I've been "training" for about 2 weeks.

400 meter swim: in 11:37. Ugh, very slow. My form has gotten alot better, and I'm still slow.  There was a woman breaststroking faster than me! Actually, I think she was doggie paddling.

10 mile bike 31:47: bike course had too many sharp corners and turns. I think I averaged about 19.1 mph, which would good, except that course was VERY FLAT, so I shoulda done better.

3 mile run: 33:28: I actually "pushed" myself on this, which is why it is not 36 minutes.

Overall time: 1:19:19, in lower third of my age group.

But it was fun! Triathlons are fun, if you didn't know.

But I think I'm more of a long distance person, rather than speed. Slow and steady, etc.

 This is fun: go to Walgreens right after a triathlon, wearing your wet tri clothes and body markings and buy a plunger. Woo-hoo! Good times.

Thanks for lunch, Dave!

Oh yeah, I made a cake too.

    

My friend enjoyed it:

 

I don't think I'll make it again. It was too labor intensive for the results. The cake itself was made with almond paste, which made the texture crumbly; not dry, it was moist and crumbly, if that makes sense. Also, it was layered with ganache and I don't think it went well with the almond flavor. I really liked the frosting which was made with marscapone cheese and heavy cream.

These past 2 weeks, I went to 6 spin classes, swam 4 times, did 4 core classes, and ran... a little, maybe about 9 miles.

Stephen King and Food

Short essay:

Identify the connection between the food item and Stephen King reference. Briefly describe characters involved, quick plot and source (story, book).

1. Blueberry popscicles

2. Triscuits

3. Nabisco honey grahams

4. Dairy Queen banana boat supreme

5. Slim Jims

6. Cherry pie

7. Danish pastry