Day 25: Non-Negotiables

How I long for open lanes.

I used to write about finding my perfect man. Now I write about finding one man in particular - his name is Gym. I spend a lot of time with him. My boyfriend is not jealous, in fact, he encourages me to spend time with Gym because he knows how happy Gym-time makes me.

As many of you know, I recently started attending a new fitness club. With a new job up the Peninsula, the location of my beloved Club One Fitness became rather inconvenient and I felt I really needed to make a change. Like many woman do, I made a list of requirements/non-negotiables:

Not really a "gym" but a "fitness center with a gym"
Proximity to home or work
Pool (!!)
Newer equipment
Cool members
Nice showers,
Towel service
Good spinning and yoga classes
Not super busy

The options near Sand Hill Road are a bit too, um, she-she as they are high priced country club facilities with people in white tennis attire and valet parking. It's not that I wouldn't wish to be a member at this gym, but it wouldn't go for me. Sure they might let me try it out, but I'm just not long-term membership material. I looked in Palo Alto, but the options are at least 30 minutes away in the wrong direction so I feel it would turn into a long-distance relationship and it would just be too hard. Then there are discount gyms that give you only the bare necessities, and don't really fit my list of requirements.

I had it narrowed down to two great options that met my list of requirements: one was larger and had more amenities but was $178 a month plus a $1,500 initiation fee. The other was a bit smaller and more of a community center than a fitness center for $97 month-to-month. I joined my gym because the location was so great - 3 miles from home. Also, they have the same equipment as Club One and it was ranked one of the best Fitness Clubs by the Metro.

I went for the $97 option, because that was expensive enough.

Sad news. I got into a fight with Gym. When I had to start sharing a swimming lane with 3 other people - I snatched up my towel and walked the hell out. I just had to get through a 75-minute swim workout and it wasn't going to happen by dog paddling in a circle, while being whipped in the face with a pool noodle by the kids playing in the family area.

I'm not even sure if my pool knows how angry I was - even if I made phone calls in the lobby to two other pools to see if they had lanes available. I was hoping someone would overhear my conversation, "Oh great! It's not busy. That's fantastic because I really need to swim today. See you in 30 minutes."

Yeah, I'm passive aggressive.

I drove 15 miles to Santa Clara University's pool: it had 5 open lanes (ok, they are on summer vacation right now, but still), is the perfect 75 degrees, and I don't feel like I'm swimming through toys or pee.

Now that I'm doing triathlons, having a pool is a MAJOR requirement of a fitness center. Instead, I feel like I'm always running around town trying to find an open lane somewhere. When I joined my gym I thought it wouldn't get too busy, but unfortunately it's just too small for all of the activity they want to have there. First, this center is very family friendly, and I realize kids need a  place to go too, but they really need a separate space for their toys and puke. Yes, a kid puked in the pool about a month ago and we were forced to vacate. Second, they do a lot of social events like Family Pool Day and Jazz by the Pool. To me, the pool is a piece of workout equipment, not a place for a party. You wouldn't set up a martini lounge by the treadmills, would you? (Don't answer that.)

Finally, I guess I have outgrown the Community Centers and YMCAs of the universe and I really need a place to work out and not a place to socialize. But, do I want to put in the money? Like dating, something needs to go on my list of requirements in order to find the kind of place that I really want/need to fit my lifestyle.

So, what now? Do we break up? Do I adjust my life to fit his? Or do I just walk away?

Day 26: Goin' by the Wayside

My bike route yesterday took me by the Wayside... in a good way.

I'm lucky to live and work in an area where there are a lot of good cycling routes. Street signs totally crack me up; like half-way up the Old La Honda Road incline, there is a side street called Upenuf Avenue. Obviously people have a sense of humor. Also a note that any road name containing the words "Mount," "Monte," or "Mtn." probably have some kind of climbing involved. It's good to know your Latin-based languages here. Or just good common sense. They didn't name it "Skyline" for nothin'.

Day 26: I made up for my relaxed Sunday with a 30 mile bike ride and a 2 mile run. Lots of headwind on the ride heading out to Canada Road.

Day 28, 27: Swimming with Sass & Taking a Break

Monica flying after swimming. Superwoman!

Team SassMouth at Aquatic Park. Swimming in the shadow of Ghiradelli Square and Alcatraz. Pretty rad (and chilly) way to spend the morning.

Day 28

1+ mile bay swim

Trans Tahoe team Sassmouth met at Aquatic Park on Saturday for a swim on a beautiful day and a trial in 62 degree water. I swam about a mile in the good ole' wetsuit, then went out for a spell without. I should have sucked it up and swam the whole thing without a wetsuit like two of my teammates, but we still have next week for another chilly trial. We all missed our 6th teammate! Hopefully we'll all be there next week for a picture in full sassy red swimsuits - TEAM PHOTO TIME.

Day 27

Impromptu break

I'm tired and need a day off. There needs to be a calorie count for the following:
Getting out of bed at 10am
Walking into a restaurant for brunch
Watching some golf, Tour de France, and Euro Cup
Grocery shopping and walking that extra 100 feet to return the cart to the proper location
4 loads of laundry
Calling parents while cleaning the kitchen floor
90 minutes of restorative yoga
Making dinner

Bike and run tomorrow. Get it.

Day 29: Sometimes you gotta run.

Katie is running from Tom, and I ran today too! Breaking up is hard to do; breaking a sweat is also pretty difficult. We shall all get through this.

Track workout
2.5 miles to Campbell track (warm up)
100 fast
100 slow
200 fast
100 slow
300 fast
100 slow
300 fast
100 slow
200 fast
100 slow
100 fast
2.5 miles back home (cool down)

= 9.25 miles

Day 30: Healthcare

I got my dose of personal healthcare today. It was taxing, but totally worth it!

1 hour swim 
Menlo Park has a nice pool. Unfortunately it's so nice that it's crowded, so I had to circle swim with two other people. But, I probably got a mile in.

26 mile bike (hills!)
The Meetup group did Old La Honda tonight. Started in Portola Valley, a steep climb up Old La Honda Road (lovely), back down through Woodside to complete the loop.

Man, I'm so lucky to live in California and the good ole' US of A. It's beautiful. Sure Canada would be nice, but I'll stay here.

1 month. Holy moses.

It's the 28th of June. That means only one month until Barb's Race. Only a few more gut-busting workouts left until it's time to taper off before the big day.

For the next 30 days I'm going to post my daily workouts for your enjoyment. . .  or more to movtivate me because I'm getting workout-lagged, or whatever workout training term there might be for senioritis. So close to graduation, but I just want to sit on my ass and watch movies for a week. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate. Motivate.

I'm working out tonight, so unfortunately you are going to have to wait until tomorrow.

Sorry for the false alarm. :)

Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends.

Friends are the best. Wine sometimes helps too. Probably not on a bike ride though . . . damn.

My first real bike ride was about three years ago. I went with a group from my gym spin class who said they were doing a casual ride, only to find out that the route was over 40 miles (my first real bike ride ever). I was completely unprepared: no proper shoes, no food, and no idea how fast 16 miles an hour is. Also a few years back, a friend encouraged me to run St. Joseph's Hill with him. "We'll run the flat part," he said. I could have killed him, and he was confused because I was such a good runner. Because of these friends, I'm a much better cyclist and the trails don't bother me anymore.

Nowadays, I make people suffer too. And they like it.

Hell hath frozen over - My boyfriend bought a road bike. I'm not sure what happened, but we were in the bike store buying a tire pump (for me), and suddenly he's riding around the parking lot on a blue and white Trek, buying shoes and pedals and even padded shorts. On his third day out, he rode up Shannon Road (not an easy hill). It's amazing what he remembers and what he is capable of when he hasn't ridden a bike in over a decade. Sure, it's more difficult than it used to be, but once you remember what that steep climb feels like, it doesn't really leave you.

It's kind of like riding a bike. . . Bu-dum *ching*

Two weekends ago, I got the opportunity to test out the Barb's course route with a group of regular 70.3 racers - some of whom are doing the Vineman 70.3 and some doing Barb's Race. (A pic of me in front of my favorite winery above.) I thought it would be fun to invite my regular tri buddies, L & M, to do the course up in Sonoma wine country with this knowledgable group. L & M obligied to get up at 4am and ride 60 miles. Did I mention it was 113 degrees that day? Yeah. I thought maybe L would try to eat my eyeballs out. She did not.

This past weekend, I asked my Foster City swim friends if they wanted to hit the green lagoon with me. It was cooler than normal, the wind created more of a current than usual, and the water had been freshly douced with algae tablets, which made the lagoon a bluish-green and taste absolutely fantastic. Ugh.

"Do you know how much we must like you because we are doing this with you?"

It was then I realized, "Man, people do like me!" I should go into sales because I clearly have the ability to make people want to suffer with me. Or maybe I should have gone into the military. Or maybe I'm a glutton for punishment too.

This weekend, a group of us are going to suffer at San Francisco's Aquatic Park together. It looks like the water is hovering around 57 degrees. Looking forward to eating algae! YAY!

So, thank you friends for the mutual suffering!  Here's to hills, heat, algae, and friendship!