tris and birthdays

My tri training plugs along, which frankly is MORE than I can say for my so-called “training partners” Martina and Kim. Martina skipped weights today (but she said she had a surprise in her life. I wonder what it is. I think she’s either moving, or pregnant!). And Kim was 45 minutes late to our scheduled racquetball.

Ladies…what to do with you? I know, Martina, you don’t even read this blog but Kim.
Kimberly.
A tri takes work.
Even a sprint.
End of lecture.

Training’s been mellow. Last week I ran, swam and cross trained. No bike but training for three disciplines is rather time consuming so one can imagine you can’t do all three in one week.

Oh and I’m so glad Keith and Scott INSTANTLY side with sissie in any dispute I have with her. I can’t help that she is a demanding coach who threatens to dump me even after a weak training run. Some might agree with this coaching philosophy. Maybe this is why she hasn’t been replaced.

My birthday is coming up. I’m gonna be entering a new decade. Can you imagine….
Newsweek wrote a story today, a 20-year lookback that in 1986 gave women who entered 30 a 2.5% (or close enough) chance of ever getting married. They’ve since revised their calculations, natch. I mean, only 30 and an old maid?

Sure, when sis and I were in Mexico a month ago my grandma pointed out we’d never be married because of our ages. But it’s a time of the world (or rather, a place in the world) when we don’t have to be married if we don’t wanna be and we don’t have to have kids if we don’t wanna (yet).

So when I feel like my life is rather silly, and I wonder if maybe im years behind, I’m just gonna have to shrug. As Bon Jovi might sing, It’s my life. Even though I like that song, Living on a Prayer much better.

The new pickup line

Sis took some offense to her portrayal on this blog. "You made me out to be a liar and an abusive coach," she writes me this morning.

As a journalist, I hear this kind of thing all the time. "Oh, you misquoted me," and "That's not me at all," and "You have the story ENTIRELY WRONG." Ok, well, I dont hear this thing all the time - id be worried if i did - but you get the drift.

I told her, "Sis, the thing is, the stories I recount are true. Maybe you should rethink your sistering skills."

Ah, ***little sis. Good thing I'm around to help guide her along.

Training began last Saturday for the July 16 tri. Martina, Kim and I are doing it.

Martina and I had planned a swim and 5-mile run last Saturday. She decided no swim and perhaps a 3 miler would be nicer. Then we promptly had a beer and went bowling.

I met Martina online. She moved from Ireland two years ago. She's a lovely girl, cute, and has beer flowing through the veins as only a true Irish lassie can.

We've decided our new pickup line is "We're training for a tri." Cause last week at the parkway she and I stopped to watch a couple of guys rock climbing. We talked, then mentioned we were trainng for a tri.

Well, now were they impressed! So ya, so my new pickup line. I have yet to use it because even though I went out dancing last night it was to a gay bar. Maybe this weekend.

Hit the pool for the first time in months a couple of days ago. It felt amazing. What was I waiting for???? I'm all excited to be back in the tri training mode. I think I blame Jeff, star runner boy who has decided he wants to do an Ironman as his first tri or something like that. He's always so goshdarn inspirational.

*** here's a shout out to little sissie who told me earlier she loves my blog but really she just loves it when she's the featured subject

Baby sis leaves the nest. Big sis wonders what to do.

Some of you may know I have a sister. I write about her a lot.

She joined me in the Vegas marathon (a mile and a half later than she was supposed to. That didnt make big sis so happy). Then, she took credit for running it while wearing her Vegas blogging shirt in Starbucks (Impressed man in coffee shop: "Oh, you ran the Vegas marathon? So did my friend! Wow, that's great, and you're already running??" Sis (head down so as to not meet man's eyes: "Uh, er, ya, it is great.").

She's also acted as my coach, using such encouragement as "If you dont finish in under 4 you can forget you have a coach" and "No one likes a slow runner!" and other uplifting things.

She ran her first half marathon last summer, wearing big sis' shoes since her 4-year-old pair got a hole three days before the race. For a week -- maybe even two -- she even began training for San Diego, her first marathon.

But enough about sis the runner. Sis is also a career woman. She's in the young stages of a career as a corporate events planner. So Monday came the news -- little chickie is headed off to great big world. The San Diego born, raised, never left is heading to Chicago.

Big sis is a bundle of nerves. That is, when I'm not thinking about how I can go to Chicago every month if I wants and look how much easier doing the Chicago marathon and the Chicago famous triathlon I saw on TV last year will be?

Even though she's moving closer to her Pennsylvanian sister, it feels like she's moving farther. And I feel strange. I also think maybe she is too young. 27 and moving to a big city like Chicago? I'm not sure that's such a good idea.

But like all grown women must do, I must let sissie spread her wings and fly. I must be strong. What on earth will I do if i have a child?

the (un) half marathon report

So this half marathon report comes a bit late but really, it's cause there is no half marathon race report to give.

It was a last-minute decision to bag the race (I got the word "bag" from my PA brothers and sisters). We were trained (mostly. BMI boy probably better than I), had a room, were ready to go. But like the bad soap opera that my life is, well, it just didnt happen. Neither did the five borough bike ride. Ah, my life...

I had planned to meet up with shoreturtle and his wife at the expo. Maybe when Brit comes to visit.

BMI boy sneakily found this blog. Ok, so it's not hard to do but I had told him i wasnt giving him the address since I write about him. So i've got to censor myself for now.

I've only got one race on the horizon, my first olympic tri on July 16. I'm getting excited. I'm getting back into the pool this weekend and hope to do a bike ride with Kim.

Life has been rather calm the last week (if you exclude cinco de mayo. And i'm excluding it on account of the fact it's the last one i'll ever celebrate. Apparently I have a need a prove how hardcore Mexican I am so the holiday's now off limits). My apartment is clean, uncluttered. My laundry is done, my fridge is full. Hmm..been watching the playoffs. Go Phoenix!

I've been getting so much sleep the last few days my body abruptly wakes up at 430 a.m or 630 a.m.

So let me get this straight -- work a 9-5, exercise, clean, watch a little TV, sleep -- that's what normal people do?